Broken Wings
by Zeromaru Chaos Mode
Summary: A young man with shattered wings.  Betrayed, hated, loved.  He will open the eyes of the world, and with the help of his mate, the Dragoons, and the Moon Child, he will condemn it.  Or be its savior.
1. Prologue

"You are weak."

The young silver-haired boy looked down. Two figures and one flame floated in a colorless void. He was saddened by the other man's words, though true they were.

"_**Weakness is not a Sin."**_

"No…it isn't."

The flame seemed to pulse as it spoke, and the other man shook his head, curly black hair in the shape of a small afro shaking with it.

"Why did you give in to weakness?"

"…why? Why would I not? I had no drive…I had no hope…as I saw it, I had no future."

"And you didn't think to forge one for yourself?"

The silver haired boy stared with angry tears at the taller man. His light brown skin, similar to the man before him, shuddering with depressed rage.

"How _could _I? The world, the humans would fear me, my _own people _feared me! They hated me! I was met with scorn and disdain from the moment my wings first appeared! A freak! Friends were lost, family turned their backs on me, I was kicked out of my village and left to _die!_ What would you expect?"

"I see. But you still gave up. You could have pushed until you found someone that would accept you, and weaved your life around them." The taller man spoke, brown eyes staring into the crimson of his junior.

"I did. And I don't regret my choice. I can't…live there. I just can't."

"_**This is why I have brought the two of you here. This boy was honestly meant for something, but the Goddess, Soa, underestimated the cruelty of sentient life. His destiny would now go unfulfilled, his role in what is to come, empty. Thus, that world is fated towards destruction."**_

"Like I care…" The boy said, emptily.

The man gave a huff of amusement. "Sounds like something I would say, were I in his position."

"_**Indeed. Which is why I'm giving you the chance to be."**_

"…eh?" The taller man looked to the violet flame, seven silver glows in the form of eyes staring back.

"_**You have given your life for the sake of another. That child will grow, perhaps she will be the key to returning you, awakening your home to what you always believed. But for now, you are lost. I have brought you here, to take his place. You are the Warrior of Tiamat, you are MY warrior. You who bare the soul of Chaos, will you undertake his destiny as your own?"**_

"…" The man blinked, considering his options. "Perks?"

"_**You would have his body, and his potential…slightly…modified, for you, of course. Your memories of your home however, would have to be removed until that body expires. You will be allowed, however, the feeling that you are not from there, along with memories pertaining to its mechanics, and the events that will go on. His end comes roughly three years prior to Melbu Frhama's defeat."**_

"What potential? I had none! I couldn't even do a basic _fire _spell!"

"_**That is because flame was not your native element. Nor were any of the others. They never bothered teaching you much beyond simple energy manipulation, but trust me when I say you had much potential. There was a reason your wings were different."**_

"Hmph…I'll believe it when I see it."

"_**And see it you shall. You will retain his memories, all of them, as you will essentially be living his life. You will be given time, to train, to learn and to grow…do you accept?"**_

"Any other randoms you're throwing at me?"

"_**No. At least, none that I am aware of. As I stated, it is possible that through your actions, a 'bridge' of sorts, may be created. I cannot tell at this point."**_

"Sounds fun. Always wanted to be a Wingly."

"Not…a Wingly."

"Well I'm not gonna be a mermaid, that's for sure."

"no…I'm not just a Wingly. There was another thing. They kicked me out for another reason. I'm half-human. My mother…was human. They killed her. And when they found her taint had shifted my wings…"

"_**The first Wingly-Human half-breed in centuries. There were meant to be more, but the war began…and the world had all that energy built up."**_

"Even better, means I'm not a total fragile in close range. Alright, when do I start?"

"_**As soon as we are done here. Remember this, I will not be able to assist you unless you find some method of summoning me to that realm. He was not naturally meant to become any form of Dragoon, however you are technically going to be a new soul, as the two of you shall become one being. At this point…anything is possible."**_

"I'll try to stay away from it if I can. It'd be cool, but knowing my luck I'd get the Divine Spirit from ol' Dart…nah, I think for once…I'd rather be a "normal". At least, as "normal" as we can get."

"_**Indeed. Do be careful. That world is counting on you."**_

"So, kid. What's your name?"

"I don't remember. It's been so long since anyone called me by my real name, I forgot."

_Asshats. Oh well, people are like that no matter what species you are._ "Ok, what did they call you?"

He flinched, and muttered something.

"Eh?"

"I said…Zero."

The other man smiled widely, slightly frightening the young Wingly boy.

"Kid…that name? _**Perfect.**_"

**Broken Wings**

**Prologue**

She was tired. The day had been long, rebuilding Seles had taken its toll on everyone. She wanted just a little nap, a quick rest before dinner. But that nap wasn't as restful as she wanted. She twisted and turned on her bed, frown marring her face. Her mind was assaulted by visions, visions of their journey, first to follow Lloyd, then to stop Diaz, and finally, she saw what they went through while she was captured, unconscious, in the core of the Moon that Never Sets.

**Why do you fear?**

_Fear?_

**The power you have been given.**

_It's evil!_

**The power of Destruction is anything but.**

_But look at its name! Only Evil would destroy!_

**Then I suppose you are Evil.**

…

**Yet it is not because you hold this power. You are evil for destroying that which was. You have been evil since you were formed in your mother's womb, destroying particles and absorbing them into yourself as all creations do, to further your own existence.**

…

**I suppose then your dear Dart is evil as well.**

_What? He's not-_

**You said that only Evil destroys. He has destroyed much. Not just humans, but the very foods he eats. He destroys the land he steps on. He destroys the air he breathes. Thus, he is Evil.**

_I…I didn't…_

**Behold my words, Child of the Moon. If you believe he is not evil, for those acts. Then you are no more evil than he. Destruction is a concept, an existence. It is the act of removing something, the act of changing something. It is no more evil than the very act of living.**

…_but…_

**The power you hold, is similar in concept to the power your love holds. He wields the power of the mighty Dragon, a power of Destruction in its own right. He destroys all who stand against him to further his goals, be they the end of a target, or the defense of those he loves. If your belief is that those who destroy are evil, then he is guilty of such.**

_He's…he's not evil!_

**Then neither are you. Heed my words Child of the Moon. Within you is the Concept of Destruction. The power to change the World around you as you see fit. Be it to shatter a wall between you and your love, or erase a poison that is slowly killing someone you care for, or even to destroy a city for the sake of destroying it, this power is yours.**

_I…I don't want…_

**You can continue to reject this power should you desire…but would you not rather the power to act and protect your future children should they be in danger, rather than be forced to sit and behold their rape and torture while you lament not being able to save them?**

_!_

**I see that struck a chord. Do you want to simply sit on the sidelines further? You've lost the grace of the White-Silver Dragon, yet you still have this well of power deep within. Do you not want the opportunity to fight by your love's side, to be sure he returns home to you? Or would you rather wait and worry?**

…_This…I can…help?_

**Child of the Moon, the concept of Destruction is so vast that with practice, you can either erase a mountain, or shred a simple fly at ease. It can be as wide and devastating as the destruction of the Moon that Never Sets, or as small and accurate as blowing off a poisonous insect that is slowly corrupting someone from within.**

…_really?_

**Really.**

_How…?_

**You must accept who you are. Accept your power, and your role. The power is yours to use or ignore as you see fit, but if you ignore it for too long, it will burst out of you, and that may threaten those you care about. Accepting it, will keep it under your control. Utilizing it, understanding it, nurturing it, will further do so. The concept of Destruction is vast, for destruction comes in many forms.**

_I…I see…_

**Do you?**

…_yes. I think…I get it…at least a bit more, now. I'm not evil. My power isn't evil…it…just is…right? I can…use my power for good…right?_

**You can use your power however you see fit. If you worry too much about things like "good" or "evil" you'll only find yourself second-guessing everything you do. Live life how you desire, perform your actions because it is your will to perform them, for no matter what you do, some will view it as "good" and others, as "evil."**

…_I guess…you're right…_

**Now awaken, Child of the Moon. Awaken, and face yourself.**

Her eyes snapped open as she shot up in her bed suddenly. The dream she had, becoming fragments of information in her mind, as she desperately grasped at them, trying to remember all that the mysterious voice had said. It sounded like nothing she'd ever heard before; it being as if hundreds of people were speaking at once, and yet, not speaking at all.

_Maybe I'm working too hard…it's making my head all funny…_

She slowly climbed out of bed, stretching after standing. She took a quick gander in the body-length mirror that was in her room, blinking as she thought she noticed a fading outline on her forehead. She leaned forward, ignoring the obvious gap in between her collar and her neck, showing far more cleavage than she'd usually desire. She was, after all, wearing one of Dart's shirts, not wanting to ruin her own with the gruntwork she was doing.

She blinked again, eyes slightly wider as she beheld she _wasn't _seeing things, as she pulled back her bangs. The strange marking on her forehead that only appeared when her life had been in danger in the past, just before her hidden power flared up and _erased _something that stood before her, was present, if only faintly. As it faded from view, her eyes could still see it, and she became uncertain if it actually vanished, or if her eyes were merely remembering its existence, forcing herself to see it when it truly was not visible.

She leaned back, hand on her chest, feeling her heart pounding. Her breaths came in short quick gasps, fear overcoming her mind. She didn't want to be evil, she didn't want to destroy the world. She shook her head, struggling against those thoughts. The voice from the dream came back to her mind, reminding her of its lessons. She forced herself to calm, there was nothing to worry about. As long as she kept aware, she was the master of her own power, it was _her _choice to use it or not.

And yet, she blinked, as somewhere in her heart, she realized she felt…giddy. A part of her _wanted _to try this power. While it was dangerous, and scary at times (she'll always remember when Dart had to carry her because she sprained her leg in that blasted swamp), fighting at Dart's side…making a difference in the world…helping the others live for another day…

It felt…good. Without realizing she began to smile softly, as she recalled all the times she'd saved Dart's life with a quick Moonlight, or the one glorious time she managed to call forth the White Silver Dragon itself. She slowly came to realize, it wasn't the thrill of battle she felt, more, the feeling of being able to _do _something other than just watch.

_If…if this power…can give me that once more…can something that feels…so __**good**__…so…__**pure**__…can that really be bad?_

She was still confused, still slightly afraid. But now, she felt as if she could face the world, and not cower if they looked at her strange. After all, there _were _human mages, though they were rare. And Dart was a Dragoon! A legend brought to life! On top of that, he held the Divine Spirit! The King of Dragons so greatly and rightfully feared the Winglies sealed it away, even after they'd created two weapons specifically made to slay Dragons and their Knights! A Dragon so powerful, the legendary Dragon Block Staff **broke** upon one use against it! Heck, SHE was once a Dragoon! She felt the power of the mighty Dragon, she became a Legend.

On top of that, before, and even after she was a Dragoon, she was the Moon Child. The legendary being said to bring about the purification of the world. Who is to say, that by standing by her beliefs, by mastering this power…she can't truly live up to that legend, rather than the twisted truth she was meant to be? If this power could let her at least protect the people she loved…

Her forehead began to glow once again. Her resolve was set, as her acceptance of her life, her role, and her power settled. She would take this power, the power of Destruction, and wield it to protect.

She blinked as she realized her head was glowing a pale blue-white. She closed her eyes, trying to relax.

_There's got to be a way to keep this night-light off of my forehead whenever I start reaching for my power. I don't know much about warfare, but I'm sure it's not a good thing to have such an obvious tell that the opponent is about to do something big…_

She looked at herself again, noting the sweat on her brow, and the difference in her own eyes.

_But maybe I should worry about that later. After all…I guess it makes more sense to be able to wield a sword properly, than to worry about how many jewels are shoved in its hilt…right?_

* * *

He wiped the sweat off his brow. The air was thick with moisture as he took a gulp from his canteen. Dart Field let out a sigh of exhaustion, taking in the sight of the nearly completed house before him. It had taken a while, but Seles was almost rebuilt. Being a Dragoon had its perks, especially once he translated the words Rose said so many months ago. The 'madness' of battle required to transform…

Dart, not satisfied with having to be in the middle of a fight to be able to touch the Dragon's Spirit, began looking into the meaning behind that statement. After spending days upon days just pondering it, letting his mind wander while his body worked, he finally came to a conclusion. While he wasn't the most spiritual of people, he'd realized the connection between Dragoon and Wingly. Both had access to a well of magical energy that was without logic.

He'd snorted to himself that day, as he realized, really, it made no sense that a tiny rock could form armor and working wings. Hell it made no sense how Dragons could fly either, but people just accepted that as part of a thing. So why couldn't he transform outside of a fight?

He came to realize the key, was a word that he'd heard Albert use once, when describing the 'science' behind sound. "Resonance". The key was that in battle, one would 'resonate' with the Dragon's Spirit, their immense will combining with the desire, the 'madness' of the user, and bringing its power forth. People usually couldn't bring that out without being in a fight, because of the state of mind one had to be in.

But Dart wasn't satisfied with that. He wanted to know the ins and outs of his power, he wanted to know the limits, and how far past them he could push, of the Dragon's Spirit. So he did something he hadn't done since when he was first training with Haschel. He meditated. During the nights before bed, he would sit and meditate, trying to recall the feeling he would have during battle, that combination of desperation and desire, fear and courage, rage and peace, that allowed him to touch the Dragon's Spirit.

And finally, one night, he struck gold. The Divine Spirit reacted to him. He reasoned in his mind, it had already chosen him as its wielder, so why would there be a true limit to its power, outside of its own? Why only usable in certain times? This mindset, combined with him able to call up those emotions on a whim, allowed him to summon its power as he desired. Dart was giddy with anticipation. Albert would LOVE to hear about this. The blonde spiky haired man was eagerly awaiting the next coming week, when the group had decided to meet again.

They had chosen to gather at Fletz, being smack dab in the middle of all their respective locations. Dart was looking forward to the meeting, for not only would he get to see his friends and battle companions again, but he could tell them of his discovery, which would make meetings _much _more frequent, and easier.

The man snapped out of his revere, as clouds had gathered. _That would explain why the air felt so heavy…_ It would seem a storm was coming, and from the darkness of the clouds, it would be big. He was a little worried about Shana, for two days prior to that moment, she laid down to rest after a few hours of work, and woke up looking…off. There was an odd weight to her steps, she held herself strangely. It was a mixture of fear and confidence he'd never seen in her, and it worried him.

_I hope she's not blaming herself for being the Moon Child or anything like that…_

He joined the other villagers in securing the newly mixed cement, covering it with a tarp after rolling it into a still broken building. The roof had collapsed, but some of the floorboards from the upper level had remained, and within rested their tools for the rebuilding of Seles. Lucky he did so, for immediately after, the rain started falling down like a curtain of water.

_Nowhere near as bad as Lenus and Regole's team attack._ The man suppressed a shudder. Being a natural fire elemental and fighting against such a powerful source of water energy was a harrowing experience. It didn't help that his swimming ability was…mediocre at best.

He shook the thoughts from his mind, noting how Shana was darting around, helping the villagers grab their belongings from the outside. The woman had such a big heart. He noticed a flash in the sky, a crack of thunder accompanying it. The storm had reached them, quite quickly.

He heard Plos calling out to the remaining children, Ilsa and Lowe to hurry inside. The thunder drowned out his voice, the laughing children screaming in joy as the cold wet rain soaked their hair and clothes. He saw Shana gently trot out to go retrieve them…

When there was another flash.

His eyes widened in shock as a bolt of lightning reached down from the sky like the raging arm of an angry Goddess, slamming into the large dying tree next to the children. Sparks and tiny flames ripped from the tree's bark as it splintered, the roar of thunder failing to mask the agonizing creak of its form.

Time seemed to fade. The children's smiles froze on their faces, and slowly morphed to looks of horror as they stood paralyzed with fear, the mighty tree slowly toppling towards them. He vaguely registered the screaming of some of the mothers of the village, the cries of their children for the two to run, as he focused inward, reaching the spirit of the Dragon he held.

But for once…it would not heed him.

_What? Why isn't it working?_

The Divine Dragon's Spirit refused to react to his plea for its power. For it knew that this was not its place to intervene. Dart was left feeling dumbfounded, as an overwhelming feeling of denial rushed through his heart and mind, followed by what felt like a hand turning his head.

A massive blue white glow had erupted from the corner of his view.

_Shana…?_

* * *

As the tree slowly fell, I could feel myself growing horrified. For a moment, I was stuck, unable to do anything. I wouldn't make it in time, and even if I did, what could I do?

And then I remembered. I am the **Moon Child**. I am the **Goddess of Destruction **given form. I **can** do something about this! This is what that dream was about! This is what that voice meant! This was my destiny, no…my _choice_!

I felt the familiar rush of energy as my power began to manifest itself. I began to run. I didn't care if I wouldn't make it, I had to get there. It was as if my power had heard my unspoken pleas, for an instant later, I felt a rush of wind like never before. I felt myself stopping, standing right in front of the children, between them, and the massive form dropping towards us.

I heard Dart crying out to me, but I couldn't listen to him. I had to stop this, right here, right now. I wouldn't let some freak blast of random chance take away anyone else important to me. It was because of me that the Village was destroyed, because of people seeking my power, that Dart nearly lost his second home.

It would be because of me, that these children would survive, that same sought after power bringing them safety, rather than danger.

It was then that I realized…I didn't just have the power of destruction. It wasn't just _blowing things up_ I could do. It was more than that. The voice was very specific about that, it kept slinging the word 'concept' around. It was right. I wield the **concept **of Destruction. The ability to _choose _to destroy, as I see fit, **how**, I see fit. The ability to bring Destruction in whatever form I wished. And the ability to be where I needed to be, for this Destruction to take place. That is how I teleported to the children, because I wanted to be in a place I could easily enact my will, and my power did the rest.

Wow, no wonder the Winglies were so haughty. To know you have a strength that few can match…to know you can be anywhere, whenever you want, and get there however you want…

I felt my power, my very **soul**, reach out to the falling tree. My right hand began to rise on its own. I stopped fighting, just letting the power enact my will on its own. It was **my **power, it knew what I wanted, and how I wanted it. This, was **me.**

I saw the tree become encased in a pale blue shell, the same color that would radiate off me when I was in danger last year. I felt tingles all over my body, before I felt as if I were the tree itself, hovering there, stopped. I stared at it for a moment, considering my options. The tree was dying in the first place, which is probably why it fell so easily. Some believed trees and plants had souls as well, just like humans. I can't say I'm one of them, but if it did have a soul, if it did have a mind, I'm sure it was in pain.

It probably didn't want to hurt these kids.

I made my choice.

* * *

Dart…no, the entire village watched in shock and awe as the girl they'd all grown up with suddenly vanished from view, the blue-white glow emitting from her forehead blinking out of existence for a moment, before both re-appeared in between the children, and the falling tree.

They watched her raise her arm, the tree suddenly slowing to a halt, as if hundreds of hands had grasped onto it, and were holding it steady. The glow coming from her forehead seemed to spread out like a bowl, before detaching entirely, surrounding the mighty tree like a mold. With bated breath, they watched the girl seem to nod to herself, before her slightly arced fingers spread apart fully, an open hand pointed at the mighty structure of wood.

And then, she clenched her hand into a fist.

Gasps all around as a massive **THOOM **erupted through the air, as the tree suddenly collapsed inward, bark shredding to mere particles, the very form of the mighty wooden life reduced to absolutely nothing. A heavy wave of force washed over them all, kicking up small walls of water as the winds from the implosion ripped through the small town, the girl's brown hair fluttering violently. Not even dust remained, as the pale blue-white shimmer faded.

Dart ran to the trio, as Shana gently dropped to her knees, panting. The shirtless blonde man nearly stumbled on the mud around them, but skidded to a stop.

"Are you all alright?"

The children said nothing, staring with wide eyes at Shana, who finally stood up and turned around. Her heart was filled with anxiousness, elation, and exhaustion. It was a massive display of control, and it took a fair bit out of her.

"Th-that…"

Lowe began, words barely forming. For a moment, Shana felt fear take over her heart.

"…was SO _**COOL**_**!**"

And just like that, the fear vanished, replaced with joy.

* * *

_Hmph…not much left to do here. I've learned all I can. I guess I might as well head to Fletz. Donau is especially pretty this time of year._

The young man stood up from his rented bed in the hotel. He stepped out, the sunlight glimmering off the waters flowing down from the tops of the buildings. He smiled slightly, this place had been a nice little haven for him, and the deadly wastelands below were a good place to train.

_Ulara was hard to find. Either you had to have a 'key', or be a Wingly and __**know **__it was there. The powerful illusion barrier surrounding it was a bitch to pierce through, but I didn't spend years training my mind for nothing._

He thought to himself, saying his goodbyes to some of the people he'd gotten to know around the little Wingly town, slowly making his way to the teleporter out.

_I like to think I'm mentally strong enough to conquer any illusion I come across, but…I can never be sure. My head's been feeling funny ever since the Moon fell. I'm kinda surprised that didn't have some sort of adverse effect on the world. Things have been going on like usual, just people confused as to what the hell it means._

He reached the teleporter, tapping a few hovering glyphs to activate it and finalize his destination. The familiar feeling of being weightless for a few moments took over, green energy field surrounding him and whisking him off to the far western cliff edge of the Death Frontier.

* * *

The winds blew his black hair back behind him, trailing between his four glimmering prismatic wings, the very things that caused him to be kicked out of his village, labeled a freak of nature, and left to die. Golden-brown desert slowly gave way to the grays of mountain tops, to be replaced by a brief moment of green. He veered to the right, momentum getting swept away by the sudden biting winds, which caused him to close his eyes in irritation. He felt himself moving, but where, he wasn't sure.

After the winds stopped, and his eyes cleared, he looked around, realizing _somehow _he'd gotten blown **way **off course. He was nowhere _near _Donau. Hell somehow he'd not even been on the same continent! He tried to scan his surroundings, before he noticed a patch of brown amongst the grey-white.

_I'm somehow in Mille Seseau. How the HELL did I get here? Ok, first thing's first. There's Vellweb. I'm gonna head there, get my bearings, and leave._ As he reached the outskirts of the ancient fortress, his back began to twitch.

"…oh what NOW?"

He glanced behind him, noticing with shock that his wings were beginning to flicker and fade. Confused, he began to slow himself, when suddenly they fizzled out and vanished. His eyes widened as his forward momentum weakened, and he began to drop.

"Oh SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-

The youth fell from the sky, winds rushing in his ears. To an observer, they'd only see a fluttering black speck dropping from the clouds. He flailed his arms for a moment, turning himself around, watching as the ground grew ever closer. He pushed past his fear, ignored the rushing in his head, the pounding of his heart, focusing on one truth.

He didn't _need_ his wings to fly.

Focusing as hard as he could, he waved his arms in front of him. Immediately he felt himself begin to slow, as the ground beneath him seemed to distort. He pushed harder, utilizing the power he was born with, a power that had nothing to do with magic, only a carnal direct connection to a very Concept. His body shuddered as the air around him became distorted, and with a small pop, he vanished.

He appeared once again, just above the ground, body forming from seemingly nowhere, accompanied by literal ripples in the air. His momentum had halted entirely, and he dropped to all fours with just a very light thump.

_Ok…what the FUCK just happened there? Now Death decides she wants me? Well fuck that!_

He stood up, trying to shake off the fear that comes instinctually when one touches death. He looked at his surroundings, making sure nothing was going to capitalize on his momentary weakness. Sensing and seeing nobody around, he lifted a hand, intending on calling forth his weapon. He blinked as the small red light appeared in front of his palm, before it began to flicker and fizzle out of existence.

"Oh son of a _bitch_!"

_Ok, Valley I can understand, but Vellweb? Why the hell would it suddenly be so saturated…_

He tilted his head, looking above him and seeing the shimmering walls of power that still haven't faded.

_Or maybe I flew too close to one of those and it weakened my natural magical field? That's…a bit more likely. The concept of magic being weakened when you cross one of those fields makes sense, there's so much energy inside them anything could have happened._

_Great! Just friggin great. Not only am I somehow __**warped **__here, I'm also stuck. wonderful. Alright…lemme see…_

He reached within himself, accessing the connection that led to his second, and more prominent power. He flung a hand out to a nearby mound of rocks, noticing them shudder for a moment. He clenched a fist, and gave a soft sigh of relief as a satisfying **CRUNCH **was heard, the rocks turned into a fine powder.

_Gravity well still works. Alright, I can't use my wings, and I don't dare fly out of here. I'll have to walk then. At least I'm not defenseless…though I hope I can still react as fast._

_Damn…I'm gonna have to start practicing cutting myself off from my magic in case of situations like this…got too reliant on it._

He looked around. Noticing a glint of light, he gently trotted over to it, seeing it for what it was.

_Jackpot._

An old, but not rusted sword lay in its sheath next to a skeleton. Holes were in its hilt, to which he took to mean that it had jewels or some sort of insignia built into it, which thieves and raiders took. He pulled the sword out, noting that it drew with no difficulty, something he considered a blessing. He weighed it in his hands, taking a few practice swings, before nodding to himself, and strapping the blade to his side.

After fumbling with the straps for a moment, he gave a soft growl of irritation, cursing his lack of keeping a backup weapon on hand. He sighed in resignation, as the blade hung from his hip, before turning to the skeleton, making a fist with his right hand, and planting it firmly in the palm of his left. He then bowed low, but spoke no words, letting his feelings flow freely, to express his thanks for the man's sacrifice, be he on the human or Wingly side, and to ask for forgiveness that he had to take the fallen warrior's blade.

_Always helps to be at least semi-respectful to the dead. I don't need anyone haunting my ass._

With that thought in mind, he turned away, heading for the direction of Fletz.

* * *

Using what little power they could access, the twins glowed with an impressive light. Two little girls, children, stood next to the brown skinned Wingly. The two intoned their desire, both of them reaching into their dwindling stores of energy. As they did so, their shared glyph appearing beneath the three, their savior thought back to how he found himself suddenly fleeing from a group of bandits, escorting two completely naked little girls.

* * *

_SHITFUCKING BITCHCOCK I'M FUCKING LOST!_

He came to this conclusion after reaching the same location he'd just left from ten minutes ago.

He internally ranted on his lack of luck, his irritation that not only had he been blown off course, but his magic was blocked and now he was going in circles around an ancient ruin that held no end of crumbling stone and dangerous paths.

It was during this rant that he suddenly stopped, sensing a very powerful disturbance behind him. Believing he'd somehow pissed off the dead warrior he 'borrowed' the sword from, he sighed and slowly turned around.

Before him floated a transparent image of a very beautiful woman. Long midnight hair reached down her back, two long bangs flowing downward covering her bare yet ample chest. A black almost silk-like cloth caressed her hips and reached down to her feet, nails tipped with black. Her skin was colored a creamy white, and her eyes a blood red.

_A…ghost? A succubus? A ghost-cubus?_

"_Please…"_

She spoke in a heavenly voice. Even with his channels blocked, he could still feel the pervasive intent within her words. Even as a spirit she still somehow commanded the ability to weave words with magic, to illicit a hormonal response. Her voice was breathy, and beautiful, but his concentration flared to full, he slammed down a wall within his mind and drew his blade, scowling at the woman.

"I don't know what or who you are, but I _felt _that. Sorry, I make it a point not to listen to people who try to take my mind away."

She seemed to blink in surprise. Her hand flew up to her chest, the young Wingly's eyes reflexively taking in the soft yet definite bounce of her bosom from the action.

_Damn you sex drive damn you I say!_

"_I am terribly sorry, traveler. You are…the first to come by within years, whom I could appear to. There were others…but they bore the Dragon's Spirit, and their power was too vast for me to risk contact. I did not intend to attempt to __**sway **__you, it would seem…with my death my control has vanished."_

"You're rather wordy for a succubus…ghost…person." He said, confidence in his words slightly fading as he could not think of a proper designation for the woman. "Last I checked you said one or two things, and ether fucked, or struck."

The woman shook her head. _"That is not the way of __**my **__people. Some, yes, but not mine. But…that is neither here nor there. I am…as you can see, deceased. I have lingered on this plain for one reason alone."_

"I'm not fucking your corpse."

She glared at him. "What? I've got nothing to do with you at all, it's by random chance I'm here, and suddenly a hot ghost woman is pretty much roundabout saying she has a quest for me so she can rest? You gotta admit, it's pretty suspect."

She sighed. _"It is my daughters." _She said, hoping to at least appeal to his hormones. "…yes…?" It seemed to work. She continued. _"They…have been captured. Kidnapped, by a group of bandits. They have been held by this group for the last six years._"

He frowned, slowly putting away his sword. Though drawing it was mostly for show. He was cut off from his magic, and his other power had no effect on spirits, as far as he knew. _Random chance…huh?_ "Go on."

"_I wish you to free them. Free them from their captivity…"_

He looked at her. "…I'm gonna do you a favor here." She blinked, a few silvery tears running down her face as she was on the verge of crying.

"Be more specific."

"_Wh-what?"_

"Right now, your request is _very _general. The request to 'free your daughters from captivity' can mean do anything that involves them no longer being in those bandit's camp. Including _killing them_."

Her eyes widened, hands flying up to her mouth in horror. _Again with the bouncing…_

"_I-I…"_

"Elaborate please."

"_You…you saw this…this possibility. And yet…you inform me of it rather than simply take your chance to do as you will?"_

"I told you before, this has nothing to do with me. I don't even know if your daughters will still be alive by the time I get there. Actually doing this would work _against _my favor. It keeps me here longer, and I wanna get out of this place."

"_You…refuse then…"_

He sighed. "You're very beautiful, you know that?" She blinked at him, extremely confused. "And you're different, so you say. If I took your word at face value, that would mean you are of a group different from most succubi. Which means in the eyes of them, you're a freak."

Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded.

"…which means your daughters are freaks as well." He looked to the side, fighting back memories of beatings, screaming, and pain. **Betrayal**.

"…I can't just leave a fellow freak to suffer…" She looked at him, confused. "Speak your request. I would hear it."

She just stared, not really understanding what he was saying. She shook her head. _Jiggle, god __**DAMMIT **__woman just stop moving!_

"_I wish for you to release my daughters from their captivity without slaying them yourself. I wish for you to take them safely from this place, to wherever they can heal, and recover. From there…you can make your own decision. I just want them to be safe. And alive."_

He nodded. "And who should I say sent me?"

"_I am Artemis. Queen of the Tiberoan Succubi."_

"…you're rather far from home."

"_I know…we were on a short journey to a clan that lived just past that tower, when we were ambushed. I was helpless. By the time I had recovered my bearings, they had my daughters, and I watched them cart them off, my throat slit open. I've been waiting here for years, for someone I could approach, someone who could help them. I know they're still alive…but…"_

"Enough." He was resolved. He gave his word, he would abide by it.

From there, he had gotten directions to where the enclave of bandits was held. He made his way, silently cutting down many, crushing hearts, shattering skulls. He found the girls, twins, apparently; bound, naked. He explained who he was, noting the looks of distrust, and proceeded to rip off their bindings.

A group had sought to impede him, and displaying his words as truth, he dispatched all of them in a single pulse from his hand. Still he knew at his current level, and trying to defend these two as well, he'd be unable to simply slaughter everything around.

So, they fled.

_Tch…unfortunately for us, they had a system of alert…luckily the twins apparently have just enough to warp us out of here._

_I wish I could use my damn magic…_

With a rush of sound, they had been transported.

* * *

They had reached the Valley. Pandora stumbled on a rock for a moment, as she dashed behind her savior, whom was carrying her sister. The dark violet haired little girl panted heavily. The adrenalin was fading, she was growing weary. The three could still hear the rushing footsteps of the group of thieves behind them, the magical field that teleported them across continents accidentally grabbing their pursuers as well. The young man named Zero, had wanted to escape the area before too many had noticed, but they moved too slowly in their caution.

He led them out to the Valley, hoping that the strange mechanics of that area would give them some cover. He flinched as an arrow screamed right past his face, accompanied by a gasp of surprise from the girl behind him. He ran for cover behind a massive wall of stone, the two catching their breath.

"S-sir Zero…I don't think we can outrun them much more." The girl spoke.

"Yeah…" Zero panted out. While used to exertion, he wasn't used to not being able to replenish his strength through his internal channels. "Callisto. Can you stand on your own for a bit?"

The silver-blue haired girl in his arms nodded. He gently placed her down, taking care not to touch any part of her naked body, before turning and looking behind them. The enemy group was proceeding slowly, deciding that they were trapped, and to have fun with this.

Zero reached out, noting a few floating rocks. He focused.

"…no…" He muttered.

He focused again, pushing with all his inner strength.

Nothing happened.

His arm fell limply to his side.

…_first…my magic is blocked because of that damn distortion…and now…this very Valley is interrupting my Well. Is…is this really it? Was I destined to fail here?_

"Sir Zero, what troubles you? You look…pained." Callisto spoke from her sister's side.

"…" He didn't respond at first. Simply glaring at the ground.

"Sir Zero, you look as if you are to cry…" Pandora gently prodded.

He gave a humorless chuckle. "Funny…the thought had crossed my mind."

The twins shared a look of confusion.

"My damn wings are blocked, I can't touch my magic, I can't call my weapon out because it's _tied _to my magic, and now, this stupid Valley is so _fucked up _I can't even access my damn Gravity Well."

The two let that settle, as Zero focused on listening for the coming group of bandits, ready to capture, torture and then kill the three of them. They shared another look, before Callisto shuddered. _I don't…want to go back there…_

Pandora stared at the man before them. This man, whom had risked his life to supposedly fulfill a request from the spirit of her mother, to save them. This man who had nothing to do with their problems, or their clan, or even their fate, had decided not to ignore the pleas of a _Succubus Queen_, and without promise of reward of any sort, without _desiring _reward of any sort, retrieve them and attempt to escape.

She felt the cloud of mistrust that she had rightfully held onto fade, as he willingly admitted; a **man **willingly stating he had wished to cry, at this turn of events. It was this admittance that solidified the thought in her mind, that her sister had already grasped onto.

He was being honest. He was being truthful. He wanted little more than for them to be safe, because her mother requested it, and he had the power to make it so.

He drew his blade, taking a shuddering breath. _If I am to die here…then so be it. I will die, granting them safe passage through this Valley. I will make sure they have time and space to flee…even if it means my life._

_I have given my word…and I always strive to keep it._

"Girls…I'm going to hold them off. I want you two, to run."

"What?" They asked in unison, Callisto surprised by the sound of concern in her twin's voice.

"I promised your mother I would help you escape. But…I can't…I can't cast anything, I can't _warp _anything…all I have is this old sword I picked up off a damn skeleton's remains. And did I mention I'm not really _fond _of broadswords? The least I can do…is hold them off while you flee."

He wasn't looking at them. He was staring straight ahead, trying to recall the one time he went through this area, trying to remember the course.

_If anything the last I can do is give them directions._

They stared at his back, incredulously. If only they were at full power! They could easily dispose of those damn bandits. _They _weren't being blocked by the distortions in Vellweb, and they had no hold over the Well of Gravity, so this area doesn't have any effect upon them. But they…were weak. They'd been without sustenance for a while, and that warp they performed had taken what little they had left.

Their clan was unlike the others, their clan could sustain themselves for a long while, as long as they had the stimulation. Their bodies created and regulated the required nourishment that they could not attain from material consumption. But that required a very specific thing…that had been denied, for much of the duration of their capture. It is why they were stuck resembling children, when they should be at least in the forms of natural teenage humans at this point.

But even should they have managed, there would have been no way to quickly replenish the amount of energy required to remove such a group, even if said group was only roughly fifteen humans, give or take.

_Except one thing…_ Pandora thought to herself.

"_Sister?"_

"…_Callisto…"_

"_You are thinking what I am, aren't you Sister?"_

"_Does it surprise you so?"_

"_A little. You were very untrusting of him. I could feel the heat of your glare when he picked me up in his arms to carry me, so I wouldn't slow you."_

"_His story…is a tall one."_

"_It is. But it has its merits. He has proof of what he claims, Sister. He knew our names, he performed the acts he claimed he could. The only thing we haven't seen is that weapon, and his wings."_

"_A human-Wingly hybrid…do you know how unlikely that is?"_

"_As unlikely as a clan of Succubi that do not require the act of draining males of their life force."_

"…_indeed."_

"_But yet, you have made your choice."_

"_Yes. It is weak…but…I am beginning to trust him."_

"_So quickly? To go that far-_

"_It is because of you, Sister. You believed him when I didn't. You held onto hope that he was telling the truth, that he was who he claimed he was. The way he held you, the way he carefully put you down to avoid touching your breasts, he is…honorable."_

"_We shall Claim him then?"_

"_I…don't think a Claim would be best…yet. As you said, it is too soon. No…but we shall bond to him. Our clan is likely wiped out, we may be the last. It is our duty as Princesses, to survive…and…"_

"_You don't want him to die."_

"_**We **__don't want him to die, Sister. For good reason. The Bonding…will at least allow us to keep an eye on his feelings. If he is who he claims he is, the Bond will tell us."_

"_You inherited Father's cunning."_

"_Yes…"_

Their exchange happened in a matter of seconds. As Zero squared his shoulders, preparing for his inevitable end, he heard Callisto call his name.

"Sir Zero…before you act…"

He turned around, blinking as he noticed how _close _she was to him.

"What are yo-uummmfff!"

The girl had quickly closed the gap between them, reaching for his head and slamming his lips upon her own. His eyes were wide with shock. He was making out with a bloody _child!_ His horror doubled as he felt his left arm become grasped. His eyes turned as far as they could, head unable to move due to the _unnatural _strength the silver-blue haired girl was displaying. Pandora had grasped his arm, caressing his hand with her own, a soft, serene smile on her face.

"Do not worry…Sir Zero…this…is meant to be."

_Why don't I like the sound of that and WHY IS MY TONGUE MOVI-_

…_why is she making me ball a fi-_

_Wait. No. __**NO!**_

A sudden warmth engulfed his pointer and middle fingers, as a soft, wet feeling enveloped them.

…_you…have __**got **__to be shitting me._

_Oh wait…they're succubi. I forgot. Wonderful. Now I'm __**really **__fucked up._

A little voice in the back of his mind tried to pipe up that he had no control over the situation. In fact, if he'd pay the bloody hell attention, he'd realize that things were starting to get _darker_.

_Wow…gee, thanks Artemis. I save your kids, they drain me. Wonderful._

He felt his body slowly falling backwards, all sensations dropping.

…_fuck…you…Clotho…_

A soft moan from both girls at once was the last thing he heard as the world around him faded away.

_Whoever…you are…_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **New story. I'm wiping my other LoD ones. they suck. this one...i'd like to believe it wont. i've already gotten the entirety written out, well...ok i'll spoil it. this story's a two-parter. i've got all of the first half written. the second will be posted when all of _that _is written too. I'm doing it this way so i dont burn out. This is a little side project, again. Maybe now i'll be able to properly focus. Anyway, small timeline. Game events have taken place. This story starts off about half a year after the end of the game. a little less than half actually. The Dragoons and Shana are important, but this is mostly about something else. The world outside of them.

Shana **will **however be godlike. She was a plot device, and a crap PC for the most part, who got switched out for a total bitch. She's got access to massive power in the game and it only gets used for plot. I presume that even though the Moon is gone, her power is still around because she's _still _got that stuff unlocked. Last i checked it was never officially stated _why _the White Silver Spirit left her, so i'm going with the reason that it left because she didnt need its power any more. That or her soul was somehow "tainted" by the power of the Moon Child.

You're going to find Mature themes in here, lots of anti-betrayal and anti-racism stuff, just to warn you. it will illustrate how hatred festers, grows, and is revealed in a world that isnt ours. There will be a major threat outside of philosophical ideals. An actual tangible threat. This first half is just the setup. getting you used to the characters and the setting.

All in all, have fun. Author's Notes wont be as long as this hopefully, but this is the beginning. Anyone who doesnt feel like reading, there's the door, feel free to use it. Everyone else, strap in, enjoy the ride.


	2. Awakening

A pair of eyes snapped open.

The world was covered in a blurry haze. Shapes were distorted, colors muffled. It was dark. No. It was blue. Everything was blue. Blue and white. An itch formed. Gah what the hell was it? So irritating. But it couldn't be reached. Fatigue became paramount.

The eyes closed, once again.

* * *

His eyes slowly opened. His head was pounding. Hell, his _back _was pounding. A really painful itch was just to the left and right of his spine. He sat up slowly, noting how the world seemed to spin around him. Things were blurry still, but definitely better than before.

The room was bathed in an orange light. Cream colored marble now reflecting the dying light of the sun. Stone ornate flares of flame, torches, around the walls. A wooden dresser long enough to hold three people's sets of clothing. His head pulsed heavily as he recalled the last moments of consciousness.

_The girls!_

His eyes widened in fear. Where were they? Were they alive? Why the **hell **did they drain him? Hell for that matter, how was _he _alive? A gasp distracted him from his thoughts. A woman clad in the garments of a servant was present. He could barely make out her features. Light peach complexion, dark brown hair, round small glasses. She stared in shock at the man.

_He's awake!_ She was under strict orders to inform the King and Princesses of his awakening. She whirled around and prepared to dash off when a gurgling cry stopped her. She turned back, surprised, seeing his hand outstretched, eyes half-lidded but begging her to stay.

"Bat…roo."

She tilted her head for a moment, before she realized he was asking for the washroom. Noting how pale and sick he looked, she nodded to herself, knowing he would need help. She gently trotted over to him, seeing the pleading look turn into a grateful shimmer.

It was here he saw her eyes, a very pale green, hazel really. She couldn't have been much older than fourteen. He slowly swung his legs over the edge of his bed, placing an arm around her shoulders to stabilize himself as he stood wobbly.

_Ok…shit first…THEN figure out what the hell happened._

The servant girl, whose name he learned was Penelope, offered to assist him in washing himself after his…evacuation. Upon sitting on the 'throne' for the better part of an hour, his body felt a mite better. Strong enough to cleanse himself.

He gave a weak flirt, stating he'd love the offer under better circumstances, but had to admit he was feeling well enough to do it all himself.

"Uhh…on a non-perverted request, if you wouldn't mind sticking around _just in case_ I have an accident?"

Penelope was surprised. Usually she would be dismissed by now, the sick men filled with bravado and not wanting some _woman _to see them in their moments of weakness any longer than they had to. The blonde woman spoke her acceptance of the request, the surprise held in her voice.

"It's…I'm not about to turn down a helping hand if I need one."

"N-no, sir, I meant no-

"Don't worry about it." He spoke through the door, spinning the taps to access the bath. "I mean, if you have something else to do-

"I…" She wanted to say no. He was so _kind!_ Very few of the guests were so soft-spoken towards the servants. But she remembered, she was informed to immediately tell the King and Princesses when he woke. She'd delayed that order by almost an hour though. But…it wouldn't take long.

"I'm sorry…I was ordered to do something prior to your awakening. I-I can return immediately however! I-If you would have me…"

"Go on then. Don't want whoever it is to get pissed with you. I might have to punch them if they gave you trouble for helping me. If you can come back that's nice, if not that's fine too. I _think _I'll be fine, I just don't like to take needless chances."

Her heart raced upon learning he'd be willing to _punch the King _for her. Her cheeks flushed before she pushed it down. "Th-there will be no need for that. I will return, I promise." She instinctively bowed towards the door and dashed off.

_I spoke my word. Servant or not, I will simply inform them he requested of me._

Where did such courage come from? As a servant she was imbued with humility, servility to her liege. And yet, the display of weakness and trust given to her by this one man, beyond any man's natural…it stirred in her, instincts that had long since been suppressed.

That moment, she vowed. As long as he had need of her, she would be by his side. The King would simply have to accept. After all, he _did _teleport in with two Succubus Princesses. He _must _be important!

* * *

It was only a secret because nobody knew or cared about his existence, but he _loved _baths. It wasn't quite swimming, but he wasn't about to turn one down if he could get it. They took longer, but allowed full encompassment of the body and senses. He didn't use the flowery scented oils or salts that women did, just allowed the hot water to soothe his wounds, physical and mental.

One would think that, due to his near-death in a river, he would be fearful of water. But no. He would forcibly remind any who asked (not that any did) that he_ chose_ to jump in the water. He tried to die, and failed. It was his action, not a freak accident due to the river. Thus, he held no fear of drowning.

He sighed in contentment. His body ached, hell his mind ached. The soothing warmth was relaxing him, but he still felt weak, sickly. His joy turned to discontent as his thoughts went backward.

_What the hell happened back there? It's obvious they attacked me but…I should be dead, or at least still there. Not alive, sick, and in some lavish place. That woman didn't look like a succubus…but I don't know._

Even in the water, he could still feel Callisto's lips against his, he could feel her tongue rubbing along the tip of his own. The warm liquid he was gently resting in reminded him of the feeling of Pandora's nether-folds, mind almost replicating the gentle squeeze of her inner muscles around his fingers, her soft almost frail hand gripping his wrist.

If he closed his eyes, he could see their look of desire, need, shared between them. He could imagine the drain upon his essence, the feeling that Death was finally coming for him. So wrapped in his thoughts was he, he nearly jumped out of his skin when the door gently opened, the servant girl, Penelope deftly stepping inside the room before silently closing it.

"You requested my presence, sir?"

His eyes widened a fraction. _Girl's got balls, I'll give her that._ The surprise turned to a smirk.

"I did. I take it you dealt with your pressing matter?"

She nodded. "Indeed sir. I have been informed to attend to your needs, and to tell you that should you be ready, there is a banquet in the next hour, and your attendance would be most welcome."

_Banquet…wonder if I'll be able to keep anything down._

"I can't promise anything. I _do _still feel lethargic, even though this most excellent bath is helping matters. I'm well aware of my limits and I've still yet to come beneath them."

She nodded again. "There is still plenty of time sir." Zero simply sighed and leaned back.

"I'm just going to relax a bit longer, if you don't mind."

"By all means sir. Take your time."

He nodded gently, overriding his instincts to analyze the situation and simply relax. That blasted itch was still yet to fully leave, but for the moment, it had quieted.

_Whether she was trained to or not…it's nice…to have someone care for once…_

_

* * *

_

A large group had gathered. The Banquet was being held in honor of the Dragoons that had saved the world. All of which whom were in attendance. The twin Succubus Princesses, Callisto and Pandora were also present, the smaller dinner partially held to honor their return and survival.

The girls had called forth simple dresses. A light sky blue for Callisto and a deep violet for Pandora. Their powers had been greatly restored after 'feeding' upon their savior's energies, being cycled between the two enough. However they were pensive. They knew he was awake, but they both feared his reactions. He was in a much worse state than they thought.

As they all settled to eat, gently chattering amongst themselves, the dining hall doors opened slightly. All motion stopped. Through the doors walked Penelope, gently holding the arm of Zero, who still looked sickly.

That blasted itch had returned in force. He'd asked Penelope if anything was on his back at all, any marks or blemishes, but she said otherwise. She'd brought him a clean set of clothing, a simple button up shirt and a pair of pants in his size, which he put on slowly, not wanting to give himself a bigger headache.

He was still wobbly, an unusual buzzing in his skull, thus, she gently grasped his arm and guided him to the dining hall.

"Presenting Sir Zero Shinzaki."

Meru stifled a snicker as she heard him mutter something along the lines of 'presenting my ass. I look like a sick puppy, what's there to present?'

'hush sir. You look fine.'

"Ahh the savior of the Princesses has arrived. Please, please, join us!" King Zior spoke jovially. Zero simply nodded his thanks. Penelope gently let go and rushed forward pulling a chair out for him.

"Ok I'm not _that _bad." He said softly. She gave a soft glare, getting a raised eyebrow from the King. That's not how his servants should act. Her accompanying huff of irritation caused the other to rise.

"Sit." She said. The King was about to speak when Zero gave a soft smile.

"Yes ma'am."

She helped him into his chair before gently laying a hand on his shoulder. He reached up and grasped it.

"Thanks. For everything."

"My pleasure sir. Enjoy your meal."

He gave a soft sigh. "I'll try. I still think this is a bad idea."

"You've been unconscious-

"-for two days, I know. I need food, I just dunno if I can keep it down or not."

"I have faith you will."

"Gee thanks, now I actually have to _try_."

"As if you weren't going to."

"Three hours and you already know me too well. Keep it up and I might have to snatch you up for myself y'know…after…I find an actual house and stuff."

Zior simply blinked at their interaction. Strange, normally his servants were soft-spoken, behaved and basically acted as shadows. He resolved to have words with this one.

"I may or may not be able to take you up on that offer. But that is a conversation for a later time. Now, eat. You need it."

"I do. Thank you."

"Again, it was my pleasure sir."

He gave her hand one last squeeze and she smiled at him brilliantly, before bowing to all of them and gently leaving the hall.

_Sometimes, I wonder if that's what it would have been like to have a sibling. Oh well._

_

* * *

_

To his joy, the food stayed down. He was still eating slowly and carefully however. He did not actively partake in conversation unless spoken to, his sickly aura gently warding off too much speech. With Penelope gone his nerves were frazzled. Though it was only a few short hours, he'd come to trust the girl, who gave off a genuine feeling of caring for him.

While weakened his body was, his mind was still sharp. He'd noticed the unusual shimmers around most of those at the table. Casting his eyes around, he noted a stone around the neck of a spiky haired blonde man. It was here that he recognized them.

_The Dragoons? Ha, isn't this a slap in the face._

He'd also noticed that the twins had gotten…older. Apparently he'd lingered on gazing at Pandora for too long, for she had sensed his gaze and sent a hesitant smile towards him. He blinked, not understanding.

A tap on his leg took his attention to Callisto, whom he didn't notice he was seated next to.

"We're sorry."

He blinked at her.

"We didn't know what else to do. We didn't want you to die saving us…so we bound ourselves to you. In exchange for us taking some of your energy for ourselves, we now have a sort of spiritual link to you. It was the only way for all of us to survive…you should be feeling better soon though…I think."

He stared at her.

_I'm…bound to them? Wait no…with these things the order spoken is __**always **__important. __**They **__are bound to __**me**__. Which means that…I guess I dictate what goes on. They took my energy for themselves, but in return I get…what? Them? So far all I've gotten is sick. Maybe that's just a lingering effect._

Pandora was about to speak when suddenly Princess Lisa tilted backwards rapidly, eyes wide. Her hands dropped her utensils and grasped at her neck. Eyes widened as the others stood, but a shimmer of air around her forced them to stop. Her chair clattered to the ground as a pale skinned man with long black hair held a knife to her throat.

"Don't move or the bitch gets waxed."

_That line makes no sense_. Zero thought to himself, seconds before the itch flared up again, this time becoming a burning feeling.

Colors blurred, melding into splotches. His sight faded as his mind was overtaken by images. Upon seeing her abject fear, he recalled moments in his life where he felt the same. Drawn into his memories, he didn't notice he fell out of his chair, clutching his head.

**A blade coming for his throat.**

**Screams of hatred directed towards his person.**

**Fist and foot impacting his form.**

**Shrill cries of agony as his mother was erased before his very eyes.**

_**A black haired girl staring at him in shock, man behind her holding a strange metal object to her head.**_

_**Him slamming his fist into the girl's stomach, screaming for her to live. Her body rocketing into a wall of glass, to safety, while he fell.**_

He cried out as he clutched his head tighter, nails digging into his skull. Glorious Goddess it hurt! Pain beyond pain ripped through his body, the burning itch turning into a roaring flame of agony along his back. It felt like he was going to burst!

Everyone was tense, the unknown man gripped Lisa tighter, preparing to end her in an instant.

An agonized yell, and twin shafts of light ripped from his back in a spray of blood and cloth. The shafts were segmented on the lower edges, spreading like grand wings. Pandora and Callisto stared in shock; he _was_ telling the truth!

Meru's eyes widened beyond their natural limits. He was a Wingly? But…he didn't look like one!

The twin shafts shrunk and split into six, before bursting outwards in a wave of glimmering energy particles.

He felt each movement, everything that happened. His body was flooded with power. He wasn't back to full, but he was definitely not sick anymore. The pain began to fade, and as he began to have a freak-out about now having _six _wings where once he had four, he clamped down on that.

This man had brought back painful memories, along with one that he could not determine…but he _swore _felt real. This man was threatening the Princess.

This man had to die.

* * *

He slowly stood, wings twitching behind him. Zero's left hand still clutching his face, fingers parted. The man tensed further, ready for an attack, ready to kill the girl in his arms.

One eye snapped open. Fierce red glare staring into the man's soul. The sheer level of pure _hatred_ contained in that eye startled him so greatly, he hesitated for a brief moment.

That moment was all Zero needed.

Once black hair immediately streaked to a head of white. An amazing pressure surrounded the knife-wielding man. He flinched, and threw the girl to the side, forgetting to slice her throat in his panic. He launched the knife at breakneck speeds.

Zero stared, arm lowering, two red eyes gazing straight ahead.

The knife dissipated, mere inches from Zero's flesh. The man's eyes widened; a shattering noise. One of the chandeliers above them broke to pieces, heated glass raining down upon the man. He gasped in pain as his flesh was pierced. Cloth torn, blood splattering to the ground, he stumbled.

Such power! And nary a movement! A Wingly beyond compare this young man was!

A single step forward. The man was flung bodily into a wall. Zero's form covered in a hazy field. Cracks and snaps, pops and squelches were heard. The man's body was being slowly crushed. Blood began flowing like rivers from the glass-inflicted wounds.

The man screamed in agony. Something was pulling within him! He could feel it, just behind his ribs! Pain beyond glorious pain! A disturbance in his chest; a pressure like no other. He felt his ribs snap, flesh being pierced by bone.

A torrent of blood. Red mass zooming to Zero's outstretched hand.

They all stared at the man's beating heart, held in the Wingly-hybrid's palm.

His mind had cleared. He would allow himself this one cruelty. The haze of rage and hatred began to fade the moment the wet slap of muscle upon flesh was heard.

He couldn't help himself. The dark fire in his heart slowly returning to its weakened state, he allowed himself to smirk at the man.

He crushed the muscle.

* * *

With a wet thud, the man dropped to the ground, as if his heart was still connected to his body, and Zero crushing it was the trigger for his demise. With a disgusted scoff, Zero flicked his wrist, blood and tendons disintegrating from his hand.

"Worthless human…"

The hall doors slammed open. A man clad in armor dashed in, spear in hand. He stared at the sight of Princess Lisa slowly rising with the help of Emille, the unknown man on the ground, and a trail of blood leading from the body to a young man with white hair, red eyes, and six glowing silvery wings.

"Wingly scum!" The man yelled, charging ahead with his spear. Callisto and Pandora reacted, their hands taking on a crystal blue and black glow respectively. They pushed aside their fear of his retribution and focused on protecting that whom they had bonded with. Zero simply turned his body, head first. As the man reached Zero, a thick haze erupted into place around the hybrid youth and the man's spear broke, shattering as if the wooden shaft slammed into a steel wall. The almost rock-hard pole splintered, fragments of wood peppering the man's face before he was flung backward into the far wall.

"A blind racist in a position of power…hmm, what _are _the odds?" He suddenly spoke sarcastically. "I think I'd be doing this world a favor if I got rid of you."

A clench of his fist, and the man's body contorted before loud **CRUNCHES **were heard, as a ripple of air seemed to compress his form into a tiny ball that vanished with a soft pop. The others stared in shock. First, he'd ripped the bandit's heart out without touching him, now this.

"Guard-

"Do you really want to finish that?" He said in response to King Zior's beginning cry.

"After all, your man just attacked me, and I happen to be under the ward of two Princesses. Do you really want to try avenging the death of a racist fool who took one look at my wings and assumed that I was the threat, without bothering to confirm anything? _Especially _after I just saved your daughter's life?"

His almost emotionless tone coupled with half-lidded stare over slightly glowing red eyes put everyone on edge. He twitched, gently touching his forehead with the first two fingers of his right hand, before letting out a defeated sigh.

"Forget it…" Zero turned around.

"I've really got to stop saving people's lives…does me no good. I'm out of here."

Small specks of light began wafting from his wings, a very faint magical pressure beginning to localize around his form. Immediately Princess Lisa shook off her shock and dashed for him.

"Sir Zero, wait!"

She grasped his hand just as the magical glyph to teleport him out of the castle and to areas unknown began to form. He looked down at the girl's cream colored hand, and then to her sparkling blue eyes, shimmering with unshed tears.

Sensing instinctively that she had little time to act, she pushed forward.

"Sir Zero, please, allow me to be the first to thank you for saving my life."

He just stared.

"Lisa! He just killed the captain of the guard!"

"Yes, after said captain attacked him suddenly without even inquiring to the situation! As he stated, the man took one look at Sir Zero's wings and assumed him to be the problem! Father you should be _thankful_! Sir Zero saved you from being held responsible for an incident between kingdoms!"

"What?" The large man was flustered. Now his own daughter was turning against him?

"Were you not listening? The Princesses, Pandora and Callisto even stated themselves that they were uncertain if their clan was destroyed or not. Do you truly wish to take the risk that they _haven't_ been? We've had good relations with their clan for decades, their informants keeping us up-to-date on the movements of most bandits through the area, and the hostility levels of the creatures that pose a threat to our city. Do you truly wish to hold hostilities against a clan of people who can neutralize our army of _men_ with nary a movement?"

"I…but…"

"On top of which I _told _you I didn't like that man! I warned you that he was unfit to be captain, but you were so blinded by his victories in battle, by the fact he would agree with your every word, even the nonsensical that you never once heeded me! You…you…" Lisa struggled to find the words. There was something she _wanted _to say, but couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Had his head so far up the other guy's ass all he could see was shit?" Zero put in, deadpan.

A soft snort turned into a hiding cough from a petite girl in the corner. A quick glance of disapproval from Albert to the girl, but all eyes were on Zero, who shrugged. Lisa stared at him incredulously, before closing her eyes.

"What he said."

The snort turned into laughter.

"Lisa!"

"Well it's TRUE! Did you know, father, that he'd propositioned me? Multiple times?"

"He what?"

"For Soa's sake the last time he did I had to kick him in the crotch before he left me alone!"

The king's eyes widened.

"I only didn't tell you because you wouldn't have listened to me in the first place! The man was racist, loud, crude, vulgar-

"Uhh, Princess?"

She stopped turning to Zero.

"I hate to interrupt you, and I swear I'll let you finish, but I can't just not say something here."

He blinked at her, fixing her with his half-lidded stare.

"That's _all _men. Especially around cute girls. Take out the racist bit of course. But yeah, we're loud, disgusting, crude, rude, idiotic and quite possibly have the filthiest minds on the planet. But…that's par for the course. We do and say stupid things to impress the girls we like, even some of us going as far as to completely _overhaul _our very existences to become someone they find interest in. Women do something similar but…usually not to the extent we will."

"I hardly believe-

"You have an amazing rack." He stated, deadpan.

Silence accompanied that. Princess Lisa stared at him, cheeks flushing. She haughtily crossed her arms under her chest. "Well I-

"And when you do that it pushes your-

Her arms immediately dropped to the sides, cheeks now a very heavy red, eyes narrowed in an embarrassed glare.

"…you've made your point." She uttered out.

Zero nodded, and motioned for her to continue. Still flustered she turned back to her father.

"Sir Zero's point aside."

_I'm still a 'Sir' after that? Huh._

"The man was entirely unfit to be captain. You should be thankful that Sir Zero silenced him before his mouth, or worse his _libido_ caused further problems."

The king just sat down heavily, defeated. So much was going on under his nose and he had no idea.

"Type of dude you just wanna jam a knife into his nuts twist it so he never has kids and then rip it out to make sure nobody can heal the wound eh?"

That caused flinches from the males, and blank stares from the women.

"Are you…usually this morbid?" Lisa asked.

"This," Zero motioned his finger in a circle around his head and pointing at his wings. "Is me in 'I hate you all, go die' mode. Being deadpan, bored sounding and quite 'evil' keeps me from snapping and killing everything around me."

"I…why would that…"

"Insanity comes with the territory when you're beaten to a pulp, mind-raped, treated like a leper and then left to die in the wilderness."

She gasped. "Who would-

"People in the village. See I was born with this affliction called 'having a human mother.' It's why my wings look the way they do, why my skin looks the way it does, and apparently why I was treated like a horrible travesty that deserved nothing but pain, scorn and death."

Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "Why would anyone-

"Because people hate what they don't understand."

"But humans would never-

"Actually humans are worse than Winglies, when it comes to racism."

"Wh-what? How?"

"See, Winglies think they're better than everyone. Anyone that isn't a Wingly, or happens to be any form of Wingly hybrid, is beneath them. So they enslave the other races and treat them like tools to be used and thrown away when they're no longer needed. Now, the thing about that is that eventually you can come to _favor _a tool. When that happens, you instinctively begin treating it better. It's like a favorite trusty sword. You polish it, you re-temper it, you sharpen it, you generally take care of it because it's kept you alive for so long. Winglies are racist, but they wanted to control everything else. That in itself, isn't as bad as humans.

A human on the other hand, is racist out of fear. And that fear comes from lack of understanding. Unlike a person who enslaves and wields life as a tool, you cannot _favor _something you hate through fear. The more you see it, the more you hate it. It just grows and grows, until humans wage war upon it. To a human, it doesn't matter how many on their side die, as long as they crush the opposition. I've been to a couple other Wingly villages, and they didn't care about my wings, hell some of them asked if I'd stay for a while so they could study them. But if I exposed myself to humans…"

"You would get the reaction you did today. Abject hatred just because you had wings."

"Exactly. I don't deny that Winglies have earned the ire of the other races, but that time is over. There are far less Winglies in the world than there are humans. For the other races? To a human, a mermaid would be a water-demon. Hide the men and children because those bitches will take over their minds and turn them into fish-people. Succubi? Sex demons. Hide the husbands because if a succubus is around she's somehow automatically hotter and much more screwable than a dude's wife, regardless of what his level of will is, or if the Succubus in question is actually _looking _for prey. Giganto? Giant warmongering death bringers. Stupid as hell, can't speak worth a damn, and good for nothing more than crushing skulls.

To Giganto? Mermaid? Water squishy. Humans? Land squishy. Winglies? Stingy flying squishy. They don't hate as much as they just make things go pop. Piss one off, you go squish now."

She didn't bother wiping her tears. The deadpan, emotionless, half lidded stare along with the simple tone in his voice of "I know this to be true" hurt her far deeper than any blade.

"…you've spent a lot of time thinking about this…haven't you?"

The one problem with him being in this mindset, he wouldn't _shut up_. He'd conditioned himself to speak, then act, unless speech was impossible. The words came spilling out, he not bothering to fight them off.

"The first half year…I tried to take the moral high-ground. I tried to think, maybe it was my fault. Maybe I _should _be dead. Maybe I _am _a freak of nature, a travesty against existence. But then I started thinking back on the lessons. _Everyone _is like that. Every race has ire against the others, I'd be no better off born in a human village than a Wingly one, once my wings were discovered. Rather than just my mother killed, both my parents would be killed, and I'd probably have been slowly stoned and flayed, possibly even set alight, burned at the stake, for being born."

The tears flowed heavier.

"So then I just stopped caring. Rather than hating races, I hate everyone equally. Until you prove you're not one of the idiots, you're nothing to me."

"For what it's worth…I'm sorry."

"And that's why you're on my admittedly short list of 'people I'll kill first when I inevitably snap and decide to systematically erase all life on the planet.'"

"I…what?" She was shocked. He just blinked at her.

"Would you _rather _I saved you for last and let you suffer as you watch everyone you care about slowly die a painful death while your kingdom burns under the fires set alight by the madness of your own people?"

She stared at him, horrified.

"I didn't think so. See, unlike most people, I know how to do 'honorably evil' properly. You kill the people you care about _first_, because this way they don't have to suffer and watch you slaughter everything else, and be tortured by the question of whether or not they could have done more to help you out of your madness and keep you from turning into the incomprehensible monster you've become."

"…wielding your insanity properly, to keep a much more dangerous thing from emerging…?"

He nodded. "I'm insane. I'm insane and I hate the world. But I don't have any…true desire to end it. So I have to route that insanity where I can…Hell I only saved those two;" Here, he pointed behind him at the twins, before silently taking a deep breath.

"Because I somehow got blown off course and practically teleported onto a completely different continent FAR from where my intended destination was. Passed too close to a distortion over Vellweb, found out my magic was blocked, ran into the spirit of their mother, got them out by way of them pulling a last ditch teleportation that ended up grabbing the other fucks as well, got to the Valley, found out that the Valley was now fucking up my Well, so I was out Magic AND Gravity manipulations. Got ready to die fulfilling my promise, and then was forced to make out with a ten-year-old, before her _sister _shoved my damn fingers in her lower mouth, said sister _also _looking like a ten-year-old, before being knocked unconscious, waking up with a big headache and a really annoying itch on my back.

THEN seeing some shitbag grab you and try to hold you ransom, get assaulted by a fuckton of memories of some similar events that went on in my life, along with one that I don't know _where _the hell it came from, figure out that the itch on my back was my magic about to burst, let go, find out I'm even _more _of a freak because now I have _six _wings rather than the original four. Re-route some of my building hysteria and bubbling insanity and hatred for all things living into focus on the guy holding you hostage, kill him, get nearly jumped by an idiot who needed to die anyway, kill _him_, get told off by your father, get fed up with people in general, get ready to leave where you stop me, and chew out your father instead, and now it's looped around to this and if I keep going I'm just going to not stop because it's a continuous loop of bullshit that goes on and on and on until it reaches the point of 'this thing happened, now that happened, now this is now because that was then.'"

"We're not ten." Pandora pointed out.

"You _looked _it. That was enough to make me feel like the biggest crapsack on the planet."

Pandora frowned.

Shana was in tears. Meru's laughter had long since faded, turning into tears and sobs. Even the guys were having a hard time holding off their rage towards people as a whole. All of them had known that people did horrible things. Most of them had even seen some of these things first hand. Hellena being one of the most prominent memories.

But none of them had ever even _heard _of something so horrible. To them, their families, their loved ones were sacred. To see firsthand the result of what happens when hatred festers for no reason…

Lisa gently grabbed Zero's hand.

"You've been through so much, yet you still are younger than I. You…are a danger to everyone around you…yet you acknowledge this, and fight to keep that from being the situation…we as sentient beings have done little to earn that protection. I've said it before, but I will forever say it until I can find a way to make it matter: I, am truly, deeply sorry."

He sighed. This was why he didn't tell anyone his story until now. It's not that he wanted to keep it secret, he just didn't want to burden the others with the majority of knowledge they'd live happier lives not having.

"You had nothing to do with the matter…but…your apology is accepted all the same."

She gave him a watery smile, and yanked him into a tight hug.

"The world could learn a lot from you, Zero Shinzaki."

"The world could learn a lot from themselves, if they'd open their eyes and stop shunning those who are different from them. I mean seriously, the legendary Dragon Campaign? All we hear is that it was won by Dragoons."

She nodded. The victory of the Humans over the Winglies was one of her favorite tales.

"What's _not _written in the history books? Except for the ones in Wingly cities?"

Her eyes widened.

"It wasn't _humans _that won the war. Yes, humans were most prominent, but there was at least one mermaid, and one half-Giganto."

"You…you're kidding!"

"Nope. The Winglies fell because the _other _races banded together and stood against them. Y'know their whole quest?" He pointed behind her to the others.

"Look at them. One full Giganto, one Wingly, the rest human. Hell, one of them is the bloody _Moon Child_."

_That _got _everyone _to stare in shock.

"And guess what? They saved the world. United under the band of 'Dragon Knights' they saved the world, not liberated humans, **saved the world**. They are proof that in reality? All your race does is determine your natural capabilities. In the end, we all bleed, we all die, we all love, we all hate. We look different, we have different abilities, but other than that? _**We're all the same**_."

The group of Dragoons stared at the young man who somehow _knew _secrets that they had told nobody.

"And that…dear princess." Everyone's gaze turned back to him.

"Is why I hate the world."

She looked at him, still holding him to her.

"Because you understand our potential for unity…because there is no need for people like you…like that one dragoon…to be treated like scum just because you are born of two races."

He gave a very soft smile at the blonde woman whom had her arms wrapped around him.

"It's why…you keep yourself contained, master." Callisto spoke.

"Because you understand the potential for unity, and do not wish to take that away." Pandora finished.

He nodded a little surprised they'd understood that so quickly.

Lisa released him, fixed her dress, and turned around.

"I do believe this brings merit to my next request. Father, I wish to make Sir Zero an honorary Knight of Fletz."

"Eh?" Zero blurted out.

"…you feel strongly for this, Lisa?"

"Indeed. I'm sure Emille will back me on this, right sister?"

"If I say no, you're going to slap me aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then I agree."

Zero whistled, before turning to Albert. "And you fell for the redhead? The blonde's got a bigger pair than most Giganto."

Albert flushed, but retorted. "All the more reason to go for Emille. Would you truly wish to wake up to that?"

"Damn." Zero blinked. "That was good. Alright, wind-boy's got game. Point to you, your majestic storminess."

He turned back to King Zor.

"I _still _want the guy's bounty. What was it…five thousand gold?"

The king nodded. "Yes I shall-

"Actually." Emille cut in, "The bounty was upped to _ten _thousand, considering we found out about his ability to turn invisible, we increased the price for his death due to the increased danger." She said, looking at her father pointedly, who sighed.

"My apologies, sir Zero. It was not my intent to give you less than you deserve-

"Ehh…I'll let it slide. You went from having a decent if odd day to having your youngest daughter nearly killed, seeing the man's heart rip flying out of his chest after a half-Wingly ripped it out without touching him, and having your captain of the guard be revealed to be completely incompetent on top of racist and having attempted to make moves on said youngest daughter, and then subsequently killed, to further learn about the killer's past being far worse than anything you could imagine. Yeah, my head would be right screwy then too."

Blank stares.

"Have you…always…been able to summarize events like this?"

"It's a survival skill you develop when you've got only a few moments to explain yourself and your surroundings before the people in front of you aim for the _other _lung." 


	3. Queens of Queen

"Do you want us to come with you?" Meru asked. After learning her fellow Wingly's history and forced mentality, she was concerned. She knew the world could be cruel. Hell she knew her own people could be messed up, but to go that far?

Zero just tilted his head. "No…you guys have a reunion to properly throw. Besides, you need time to get ready to head for Denningrad anyway. We shouldn't be long in getting there. If all else fails the twins can just warp us."

Meru nodded. "Good point. Alright. Take care of yourself, ok?"

Zero nodded in return. The three left, seen off by the group of Dragoons.

"Well…that was a hell of a start to our reunion wasn't it?" Dart said.

"Very…educational." Albert admitted sheepishly.

"Kongol want crush skull threaten princess…Zero beat Kongol to it. Zero strong. Kongol go crazy by now. Zero have Kongol's respect." Their Giganto friend spoke.

"Indeed. And to be lucky enough to travel with two extremely beautiful women, in his debt no doubt…" Haschel added, the spry old martial artist remembering earlier days, with his own wife.

"Such a sad life though…" Shana muttered. His story touched her as well. It didn't have the personal feeling that Meru got from being an outcast as well, but it struck her in its own way.

"Even mine wasn't _that _bad." Miranda absently spoke, still surprised at the evils inflicted on their new ally.

The group returned to the castle, intent on celebrating, though Shana was a bit apprehensive.

_Should we truly be celebrating while such evils still exist in the world? …no…Zero would probably look at me like I'm stupid or something. We have every right to celebrate…if anything…we should try to have fun for those who can't…_

That in mind, Shana's mood improved, as she let herself be swept into Meru's goofy party ways. The group had noticed that the ex-dragoon held herself differently lately, though why they could not say. She was happy though, and that led them to believe it was something positive.

* * *

"Here?"

Zero was surprised. Their home was just beyond the Valley of Corrupted Gravity. Not far from where they teleported in, to be exact. _I guess that makes sense. Magic tends to react to emotions, so a random teleport vector wouldn't be so random if it's a desperate situation. They wanted to go home._ The twins nodded.

"Yes. There is a weak illusion to deter thieves and bandits. Not strong enough to be noticed by anyone with magical abilities, but just enough to implant a thought of ignoring any oddly formed rocks, considering the surroundings." Pandora added.

"I can see that working. The old Giganto stomping ground is just over there, and the Valley is to the west of us. A strangely shaped rock wouldn't really go noticed unless the exact thing was seen constantly, so a weak trick like that goes a long way. Alright…how do we get in?"

His answer, was Pandora waving her hand over a single rock, which glowed violet for a moment, before the nearby valley wall seemed to fade like a shimmering mirror.

"Swanky." Zero commented.

"Master…" Pandora spoke, uncertain.

"It's…been a long time. I can't say how they'll receive us, especially bringing a man…let alone one of your makeup…"

"Get ready to fight then?"

"Just…don't be surprised if they all try to allure you at once."

He nodded. "Lead the way girls. I'll keep a Field up."

They hugged him. "Thank you Master."

* * *

"They _do _have the rings!"

"The princesses have returned!"

Zero blinked, staring at the mass of scantly clad women beginning to celebrate.

"Dammit…this ruins my plans!"

He twitched as he heard a voice ring through.

"Bastard humans…I told them to make sure all three of them were killed!"

His eyes narrowed. _Who the hell is stupid enough…?_ He began looking around.

His eyes locked upon the form of a woman wearing long yet revealing robes. Her hair was a dark violet, skin lightly tanned. She was smiling respectfully at the Twins, who were being spoken words of sincere regret at the loss of their mother by the others.

"Bonded twin princesses…ugh. I was so close to becoming Queen too. I'll have to find some way to remove them. Though…their little boy-toy might be fun to keep around…yes…I'll keep the human for myself. Maybe show him how a _real _woman works…"

…_is she for real? Why isn't anyone moving against her?_

She spoke to the twins, but all Zero heard was the darkness coming from her mouth.

"Yes…enjoy your celebration girls. You'll be dead or at least disgraced soon enough, and I'll be Queen. If those bandits are still alive, I'll have to have them killed so there is no connection. Dammit, and I paid him so damn much. Ugh…can't trust a man to get a woman's job done."

_Dead? __**My **__girls?_ An indignation like never before washed over him. A rage beyond rages. Even as he tried to fight it off, confused as to why he was getting so pissed off at the thought of the twins dying, he felt it build, a command forming in his mind.

"We still have some of that extra special poison we made for knocking out Giganto…to a succubus, it's lethal. Yes girls you'll be dead soon. Enjoy what you can."

_Oh that's it. She's __**fucked **__now. Nobody threatens __**my **__bond-mates._

_Wait…what?_

Even questioning himself, not understanding why suddenly he felt the need to protect them so fiercely, he could feel his powers reacting. Deciding to just let it happen, and deal with the aftermath as best he could.

"Soon, I shall take the Sovereign's Rite…and I will be in control of this defunct clan!"

Zero lifted his hand, and using a skill he didn't know he had, he suddenly found himself distorting gravity so much that it felt like absolute nothingness was before him. The distortion was so great, looking back he'd realize he altered the concept of reality before him, generating a makeshift gateway. Enveloped in the field, he vanished, appearing with a loud tearing sound, right in front of the twins, as the woman reached out to grasp their hands.

"Eh?"

"Zero?"

He just glared at the woman, before flinging his hand out again. This time, she went flying backward.

"Assassin!" Was cried out. The twins stepped back in shock as Zero flung his arm to the side, surprised as a ring was literally carved into the stone around them. Pieces of gravel rocketed into the air, spiraling around the group.

"Nobody threatens _mine._"

Was the only thing he said, before raising his arm. As the woman was recovering, large breasts bouncing from her spring back to her feet, the rocks all slammed together, creating a giant spear. In seconds she had thrown up a magical wall, the spear slamming into it, fragmenting. She whipped her arms around, a blast of air ripping from her palm. But against Zero's defense, the concentrated wall of force simply washed over his own protections.

Zero gave an irritated scoff, left hand clutching Callisto's wrist, surprising the girl with not only his grip, but the _feeling _behind it. A few stones were still spiraling around, surprising the twins by blocking any magical blasts heading his way.

Zero flung out his right hand again, twirling his wrist. The ground rumbled, causing everyone but the twins to stumble. Were anyone to be looking directly in his eyes, they would have seen a flicker of amber.

Words came to his mind, actions surrounding them. The ground cracked, dust and dirt combining, stone being shattered and ground up into fine grains. Everyone stared in shock as the grain combined, turning into giant tendrils of grey sand.

"What in Soa's name…?"

Was spoken by the woman.

A thrust of his hand, and the sand tendrils ripped towards the robed woman, lashing at her and grasping onto her arms and legs like chains.

"What-what are you-

"_**Was yea ra chs hymmnos mea. Wharn oz sabl dest hyzik yor. Rrha num ra chs morto yor…**_"

The tendrils then wrapped around her body, forming what looked like a cocoon of grey around her.

"**Dople.****"**

He clenched his fist, and the sand cocoon seemed to implode, collapsing inward from his gravitational command. Her body was crushed by the forces, flesh shredded by the grains, blood seeping into the grey sand.

The entire hall stared in shock. Attacks halted, eyes widened. He'd just killed the closest thing to a Queen they had! The twins stared along with the others, shocked, confused…But Callisto felt nothing but satisfaction from him. The physical connection of his hand on her arm amplified the mental, and she felt nothing but contentment, as if congratulating himself. It confused her, but it comforted her at the same time.

"You…you…" Words tried to come out, but none present could form a coherent sentence.

"Zero…why…?"

He turned around releasing Callisto, stones dropping to the ground. He looked confused. His eyes seemed glazed over for a moment, but then he shook his head as the question broke through the odd haze he had fallen into.

"Are you kidding me? You were just gonna let her kill you?"

"WHAT?" Came a series of cries.

"You…mean to tell me you didn't hear her saying all that? She straight up said that she paid off those damn bandits to kill you two and your mother so she could become Queen!"

"Impossible! Adina has been nothing but a boon for us!" Called out an older looking succubus.

"Yeah, so she could do whatever the hell the Sovereign's Rite is!"

Just as one was to accuse the princesses, Pandora blurted out. "How do you know about our ascension ceremony? We never told you about that!"

"I just told you! _She _said it! Are you seriously saying that I heard something you didn't?"

"Sister…" Callisto broke in, uncertain. Pandora turned, everyone focusing on the blue haired girl.

"Isn't it well documented that bond-mates can sense when the other is in danger? Perhaps…because we are both bonded to him, and each other through our being twins, along with a joined bond to him…maybe it is amplified beyond known means?"

"That…would explain things…" Pandora said softly.

"I know what I heard. Every time she opened her mouth, she blabbed about either killing you, becoming Queen or cursing you for living." Zero said confidently.

"None of us have ever heard of such a thing!" Cried out another succubus.

"He…_is _special…" Pandora mused.

"And our law states that the word of a Bonded must be taken into consideration…especially in times of duress." Another spoke.

"All those bandits are dead though, none can confirm or deny these claims…but…Zero…would not lie like that." Pandora said to the clan.

"And even if he would have." Callisto continued; "I would have felt it. He _was _clutching me there. I felt what he did, and he felt indignation and the need to protect us."

"Very well…we will look into this. Come…you must be properly clothed."

* * *

Pandora stepped out of the room. Zero blinked, blanking his mind at the sight. He gave her a once-over, from top to bottom to top again.

She had put on a dark red choker looking like a claw with a single green jewel within. Her body was covered in a tight, almost silk looking black robe which barely concealed her breasts, letting all view the between of them quite obviously. However, it seemed to flow around her body, being tighter at the waist, where there was a dark red sash seemingly holding the entire thing in place.

Be it magic, or just the nature of the outfit, he didn't know. _Her boobs are just barely in there. Jeez…_

The robe seemed to shift at the bottom, rather than being open in the front, it was as if it was once a dress with the sides sliced off. Two similarly designed flaps flowed down her front and back, just hiding her legs from view, acting like a form of twisted skirt. There was a slight floral pattern on them, in pure white.

A pair of leather stockings with straps and clips leading towards the inside of the 'skirt' where Zero had no desire to find out _just where _they were connected to, adorned her legs as a pair of black boots with spiked heels and blood red cuffs completed the outfit. She wore a pair of blood red bangles that looked like flames on her wrists, a single sky blue jewel within, with a second pair around her biceps with a small bloomed flower on them.

She twirled once, Zero giving his customary emotionless blink again as the two flaps floated up similarly as a skirt would, answering his unasked question. Barely able to restrain his hormones he let slip one thing.

"Nice ass."

Pandora just smirked. "The outfit, Master."

He shrugged. "It's…interesting. The style is…nice. The view is pleasant, but not slutty. In fact it's rather…"

"Seductive?"

"Sure. Let's go with that." _Really, asking my opinion. I don't know what any of this material or what most of these clothes are called. I figure it doesn't look stupid and she likes it so it should be good._

Pandora grabbed a chair and sat next to Zero, whom was waiting for Callisto to emerge.

"So do you two have all these clothes in multiple colors?"

She shook her head. "No, we use our magic to alter the colors, and occasionally the sizes. We have a set group that takes the raw materials and makes clothes out of them."

"No armor?"

She frowned. "Not…really. We prefer to strike from the shadows if we have to fight…"

"So…how do you get around in those boots?"

"Magic. We've reinforced them so the heels will never snap or break outside of very specific circumstances. The magic is laced into the materials as they're being turned into clothes or shoes, so it doesn't begin to wear off for many, **many **years. There's a slight spell woven in as well, to assist in balancing."

He stared at her, deadpan. "You seem to use magic for a lot of things. What happens when it's unavailable to you?"

She gave a humorless chuckle. "The type of thing that goes on when you rescued us, Master."

"READY!"

Callisto came out wearing a tight, light blue shirt revealing a great deal of cleavage, along with her bare midriff. Lace stockings colored a very light sky blue adorned her legs under a sky blue pleated skirt, as the same style of boot Pandora wore, Callisto wore, only in a sky blue with darker blue cuffs. Zero blinked, while Pandora sighed.

"You look like a whore."

"I DO NOT!" Callisto yelled back, mortified.

"Master Zero?"

"Leave me out of this. I am a man, therefore my opinion is flawed either way."

Callisto harrumphed, returned to her room and came out a few minutes later wearing something similar but different. The material looked of the same type of cloth, and the color was once again, just darker than her hair. It clung tightly to her chest, looking…odd. There were two heart shaped patterns over her breasts, with a heart shaped cutout just under the collar of the shirt, partially hidden by the lace rose…thing…she was wearing.

She twirled, and on the back of the shirt, they could see two more heart shaped cutouts, one above another, just between her shoulders.

Zero blinked again, and Pandora gave an irritated sigh while lowering her head into her hands.

"Change back."

"What? Why?" Callisto whined.

"Because I'd rather have my twin look like a slut than an idiot."

Callisto glared at her twin, before turning to Zero. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep out of _this _one as well.

"To be honest…?"

She motioned for him to continue, knowing that while it might hurt, his blunt honesty could always be counted on.

"It's cute, I guess. But it _does _look like…well…dumb, for lack of a better way to put it. You look like a single colored failed jester ready for bed."

She blinked rapidly, looking down at herself. She sighed.

"Well at least you agree it's cute…fine…I'll change back…"

As she walked back into her room, her sister called out to her. "Do you _have _to wear blue?"

"YES!" Callisto called out.

"Can't it be darker?"

"…MAYBE!"

She came out a few seconds later, wearing the previous shirt, only it was a much darker blue, the color of midnight. She'd changed the short skirt she was wearing to match the color. The boots had been inverted, the actual boot being a darker blue, with the cuffs being lighter. Around her neck was the black lace…thing, that she wore with the odd jester looking shirt, but this time it had a light blue rose on it, with midnight blue ribbons hanging off.

"Better?"

"Much. I know you love your hair color, sister, but it doesn't work for clothes very much." She sighed. "You _still _look like a whore though…"

Callisto got irritated. "And what about you then? Your chest is practically exposed for everyone to stare at!"

"Point." Zero stated blankly, trying to keep his mind clear of emotion. Really, two beautiful young women before him, wearing revealing clothing? _Keep perversion in check, they've been through hell._

"That may be, dear sister, but at least _my _clothing has taste. It's designed to tease, to seduce. Show them enough to get them interested, and wanting more. To get them to be putty in my hands." Pandora followed up.

"Counter-point." Zero stated, slightly intrigued but also a bit wary. _Sly one she is. She knows how most men work, and she's got the ability to keep the pushy ones at bay._

"You, look like a fifteen gold street-walker. As if you're _begging _for someone to just fuck you." She continued.

Callisto's look of irritation morphed to an angry…and pained…scowl. A wave of fear, hatred, disgust and self-deprecation washed over the two.

"Yeah? Well maybe I **want **that! Did you ever think of that?"

Confused, both by the response and the emotions she just felt, Pandora stared at her sister. "I…no…no I didn't. I…thought that since-

Callisto gave a bitter laugh. "Of course I'd want to…anything…anything to stop feeling so damn…dirty…" She said softly, holding her arm and not looking at either of them.

Pandora's form seemed to sag with exhaustion, the girl deftly walking to her sister and sweeping her into a tight embrace of intended support. Callisto was on the verge of tears.

"I…just want it to stop. I don't want to feel so disgusting…"

Pandora held her tighter. Zero stared at the two, blinking. The haze of emotionlessness he'd been trying to keep himself under, fading upon the sight.

"Wait…I thought you said they _didn't-_

Pandora shook her head, black tassels sweeping back and forth. "They didn't touch _me _at all…but…that was because Callisto kept their attention."

Zero was confused, and getting irritated. "I'm missing something here."

"You were looking at _me _when you asked. I thought you had simply directed the question to me and me alone." Pandora continued.

Zero glared at the wall. "I thought I was being completely general…" he muttered. He sighed.

"You know that won't work right?"

Callisto looked at him, blinking back tears.

"No matter what you do, that feeling won't go away. You can throw yourself at whoever you want, screw as many people as you want, turn yourself into the worst sort of woman…but the feeling of being dirty, of being tainted…it'll never go away. Nothing will work, no matter how many dicks you suck or put in you or how many girls you flirt with or touch or taste, nothing will work. The feeling will remain, getting stronger and stronger, your mind slowly falling farther and farther into depression. You'll turn yourself into a tool, a plaything for whoever will pay attention to you for even just a few moments…but it won't be enough. It won't be what you want."

He wasn't looking at either of them. But through their bond, they could feel…_something_. The feeling in their hearts made them hurt worse than any slap or cut from their captors. It felt like not only were they in pain…but the feeling as if they weren't just rejected by the world, but themselves as well.

"And eventually…it will come to the point where you've had enough…and you'll try to kill yourself."

The certainty of which he said that caused them to realize _why _it felt so pure.

This…was everything _he _felt.

"And what happens then? If you succeed, _everything _goes away. You never really attained freedom because you're not alive to feel it. If you fail, you just feel worse, because then it feels as if even **death **has rejected you. So you wander…you wander just hating the world…and hating yourself…all because someone did something to you, something that you had no control over."

"You mean to say the Princesses are Impure?" A voice rang out. Zero whirled around trance broken, as the girls seemed to shrink at the sight of everyone in the Enclave.

"Y-you are all here. Why?" Pandora asked.

"We felt Princess Callisto's distress and came. Is it true however?" The woman asked, green hair streaked with grey.

Callisto sighed, sadly. "yes…it's true."

"Then as you know, our laws dictate you cannot become ruler." The woman said. Zero's eyes narrowed. "I vote we-

"I _vote_ you shut your face hole." Zero growled out, silent rage beginning to bubble to the surface, a faint pressure being emitted from his from. The woman promptly silenced herself, remembering what the outsider did to the _last _person to challenge the princesses. He turned his head slightly to the twins.

"Explain."

Pandora took a shaky breath. Through the bond she could feel Zero's irritation and rage swirling around like a building tornado. _It must have been set loose from his release just now._

"You know our clan is able to produce our own nourishment within our bodies as long as we can stimulate ourselves. What you _don't _know is that we do _not _need full on intercourse to do it. As with our personal example, a simple passionate touch or lust filled embrace can trigger it, and be enough.

Princesses…inheritors to leading our clan…are supposed to remain 'pure', that is to say, abstinent, from direct intercourse until they have become ruler. To do so supposedly shows a direct dedication to our clan, a control over ourselves and our desires, in order to prove we have become worthy as rulers. We are Succubi, our power is to easily control and manipulate the minds of men, and occasionally other women as well, bending them to our will.

Supposedly the act of staying 'pure', shows restraint in using our abilities for our own selfish gain, our own desires, and shows we will put the needs of the Clan above our own."

Zero stared at her. "That is simultaneously the best idea, and dumbest thing I've heard all month."

That caused a wave of indignation in the rest of the clan. They began shouting at him, claiming him a judgmental fool. That sparked the flame of rage within, and his wings burst out of his back like an instantly blooming flower, shimmering and fluttering with anger. Eyes widened all around as they beheld that the man whom has bonded to their princess was a Wingly.

"Defiler!"

"Oppressor!"

"We are doomed!"

"**SILENCE!"** A voice yelled out over the crowd. The voice was familiar to them. They quieted their throats, parting as their Warrior-Chief walked forward.

"You are an outsider." She spoke, her forest green hair tied behind her in a tight ponytail, dressed in revealing but obviously powerful defensive armor.

"Yet you have shown nothing but compassion towards our Princesses. Explain yourself."

Zero held back a growl. "While it's a wonderful idea in _concept_, in reality, it does, and means, absolutely nothing. You are all Succubi, and as Pandora has explained multiple times, a very unusual variant. Your unique ability puts you at a different level than the others. As she just explained, you don't _need _intercourse to continue existing, you don't need to drain others for your sustenance. Because of this, and because you can get nourishment from even slight forms of lust, it means nothing if you do not have full intercourse to begin with!

So what if you haven't fucked a man or other being to fulfill your carnal desires? You don't _need _to do that in the first place! You can still remain 'pure' by simply manipulating them to do just enough without going all the way. You'd still be using your powers for your own desires, putting your will above the will of the Clan, only _there would be no proof otherwise_. Your little 'protection clause' has too many obvious holes in it! Did Adina's existence not prove my point before I even made it? Was _she _not 'pure'? And yet she was still corrupt, and all of you were blind to it, thinking that because she is a 'sister', she would never betray the clan!

Their mother, your _Queen _is **dead **because of her trickery! And she nearly became ruler, almost leading your people to ruin, because she adhered to your supposed conditions to _be _ruler, placed herself in a position of power where she could replace the current Queen in a 'crisis', and arranged for not only your Queen, but your _Princesses _to be captured and slain, and barring that, for them to be **defiled** so they would not be able to claim the throne in the first place!

On top of which, that little protection clause has no part of it that mentions the intercourse being _unwilling_. There is no protective clause in place just in case it turns out that they were _forced _into it without the use of their powers being the cause! What you think just because you are sub-human you're naturally able to defend against any form of attack? News-flash you idiots! I ended up being pulled on the currents towards Vellweb, where I flew through a distortion of energy that _blocked my magical channels and banished my wings!_ There are places in this world where magic, be it mine or yours, cannot be used! Who is to say there aren't _people _in this world with **access** to abilities similar to these Dead Zones?

And what happens then? You can't use your magic, only a select few of you are chosen for physical combat and trained for such, you're stuck, you're unable to defend yourself and guess what? You're raped. You're raped and if you were on the way to the throne, and doing everything you could to uphold your little clause, you're suddenly **fucked **because you _got _fucked, and now there's no way to hold your claim because your stupid little ruleset isn't properly written to protect against shit like that!"

The twins were shocked. They were aware of Zero's apathy towards the world, a shell to keep himself from going insane and becoming a tyrant-destroyer like Melbu Frahma. But outside of his hatred of judgmental idiots and racists, they've never seen him become 'passionate' about something. It warmed their hearts to know that their bond-mate…their _reluctant _bond-mate, was taking their unison so seriously.

The warrior general nodded. "Your words…while crass and painful, they hold truth within them. It shames me that it required an outsider to see the flaws in our coven."

"Don't be a fucking drama-queen." The irritation returned. "Really now, is everyone on this goddamn plant naturally an idiot or something? 'I'm ashamed that an _outsider_ was the only one not under our rules that questioned them.' Goddess how _stupid _can you get? Of **course **I'm going to see things from a different direction than you! That's how it works! You can't see the flaws because you're brought up not questioning them, possibly in fear of reprimand or worse, so even if you _did _notice them, you wouldn't speak.

Me? I've got no such ties. Because of which, I can actively spot and challenge the wrongs within your way of life, that lead to you all being screwed over by yourselves! There's no _shame _in having someone from another walk of life spot a flaw in your methods! Obviously your way of life keeps you from seeing it yourselves, because you can't detach yourselves from your laws to see them from another view! If you could, we wouldn't _be _in this mess!"

Suddenly, he gave a disturbing chuckle. "And the best part? Someone _did _have that ability. And she almost led your clan to ruin, because nobody else could, or rather _wanted _to see what she did. I have to say, I'm glad she's dead, and I'd kill her again and again a thousand times over…but so far outside of the twins? She's the only one of you I can even _begin _to respect. At least _she _stepped out of her own surroundings, even if only mentally, and saw the flaws in your code.

And like any ambitious person would, she used those loopholes to her advantage, and almost succeeded if it weren't for Fate's intervention, leading me to the twins, which led to them bonding with me, which then led to us coming here and me sensing her intent."

Some of the clan members bristled with disdain, but the General's hand held out stayed their tongues.

"It…pains me to hear. But again, your words have truth to them. You are correct. While it is tradition, while it seems to work in theory, our ways are flawed, imbalanced. Tell me, what would you have us do? Would you have us throw away generations of tradition? Would you have us sunder our ways?"

Zero blinked, scowling. "**I **would have you do nothing. This has nothing to do with me."

"Actually…" Callisto began, slightly fearful of what was to come. Zero froze at the word.

"…I get the feeling I'm not going to like this."

"…since…we bonded with you…even if we didn't _finalize _it, in its entirety…you're an honorary clan member. You…are technically one of us. You…don't have to be bound by our laws or way of life if you choose not to be but…" She was afraid to finish, sensing Zero's feelings suddenly blank themselves. Over the few days they were bonded, she'd come to realize that something was definitely _wrong _if the whirlwind of emotion he usually held in his subconscious, stopped.

"What we are saying, is that _because _we are Princesses, and even should tradition hold, _I _am still pure, and therefore **I **can still become ruler; because you are bonded to us, to **me**, your words…will have sway over our future. Because while I am not yet Queen, I am next in line to inherit it, and with our mother dead, a Queen I will be, in a very short time." Pandora finished.

"…what…does that make me?" Zero asked, blankly.

"If…we were to…finalize…our bond. You would be King."

"**Now.**"

"Your status is equivalent to human royalty's advisors of the court. Very high up on the status quo, but not yet ruler-level. Your words…will be taken very seriously, and put in high consideration."

Zero stayed silent, blankly staring at a wall. The girls shuddered as they felt the chaos that was within his mind suddenly erupt back into place, far wilder than before.

Callisto took a shaky breath, and removed herself from her sister's embrace. She silently strode over to Zero, whose wings were fluttering at an incalculable pace, the only sure visible sign that something was _off_. She gently snaked her arms around him from behind, burying her smaller form in the space between his shoulders, just inches away from the bases of his wings. He didn't show any sign of noticing.

"We're sorry, Master. None of this had anything to do with you…and yet you're constantly pulled around by us. You saved our lives, and all you got was being tied to two people who didn't have anything to do with your life. You saved our clan, and now…you're stuck with us until we die…"

That's when he stiffened.

"You could kill us. You could kill all of us. And I wouldn't hold it against you." She continued, surprising not only the clan, but her sister as well.

"You…know the horrors…the true evils of the world even better than we do, even better than _I _do, and I was the one raped and tortured for five years. (Zero silently disagreed with this, for that was the one pain he never experienced.) No…at least…I was used…at least I was accepted, I was desired, even if it was in a negative way. All you ever got was rejection, just for being _born_, a choice you couldn't even consciously make.

We chose to go with mother that day, I chose to make myself their target, for the sake of my sister, you didn't have a choice in your birth. And you keep choosing to fight your hatred, to fight yourself, because you _don't _want to give in to that stigma that everyone has, not just of Winglies, but of hybrids like you."

The clan remained silent. He was a hybrid? What was he mixed of? Wingly obviously, but what else? What could be so horrible a combination to garner such words from their Princess?

"She's right." Pandora said. "You are free to do as you please. Whether you terminate our bond, or slay our people…we will not judge you. We…have wronged you ourselves. This is our problem, our life…and we got you involved against your will. Our mother preyed upon your desire to do what is _correct _in life, preyed upon your wish to protect the unusual beings in life like yourself, and now you are being dragged around by our fates. This is not a just reward for your actions. We-

"enough." He spoke gently. Slowly his wings faded from view, dissipating with a small utterance of shimmering specks of light.

"While…I _should…_I don't see it like that." He said. Callisto's head rose.

"It's a package deal. I save you twice over, I help your clan out…and in return…I have two beautiful girls at my beck and call, whom put everything they have into understanding and accepting me and my insanity. I have the literal choice to bed one, or both of you, and even become a _king _for it. It doesn't look like it…but in truth, things have been balanced. The balance is not in what is, but what _could be_. It all depends on my choice."

"Your name…was Zero, correct?" The warrior General spoke.

He just looked at her.

"Some…would view that name as an insult. The number 'zero' represents nothing, empty space. Many would see the surface and believe you to be empty-headed, a fool, ignorant of the world."

"But you don't."

"Nor do you." She responded.

"The number 'zero' also represents a blank slate. Possibility. It is pure, untainted, unmarked. It is the beginning of everything, and the end of everything. It can become whatever it desires, and return to itself." He continued for her. She nodded.

"And in itself, it is the one sole 'truth' of the world. Everything begins as 'zero' and everything returns to it. In the end, no matter what it becomes, 'zero' will always be itself." She finished.

"Maybe I was wrong." Zero said. She shook her head.

"No, you were…_are_, correct. We are fools. We are idiots. But never once did you claim we could not _learn_."

He smirked at her.

"I like you." The twins blinked. From him, that was basically his endorsement of a person's existence! Only one other person he's said that to, at least as far as they knew.

"Going from the looks of shock on the Princesses faces, I take it that's a good thing. You have heard your status, and from your words, I can only be led to believe you have accepted it. I ask you again, Lord Zero: What would you have us do?"

He pulled away from Callisto, only to step back and wrap an arm around her. "Don't persecute her, for one." She nodded.

"Amend your covenant. There's too many loopholes in it right now, and no protections against rape. Look at as many possible situations as you can, and re-make it. It's a good idea in theory, but your unique ability cancels out the point of it. It's perfect for the other clans, but for yours…it doesn't work too well." She nodded again, noticing the slight nods of many others.

"That's…basically it. I'd say 'open your eyes' but that's something that can only be done personally, and if one wants it in the first place. On top of which, it's a heavy action."

That statement won over the rest.

"Princesses, do you disagree with anything he has commanded?"

The two denied. "We both agree with what he's said." Pandora spoke.

Zero blinked. "So…who's Queen?"

"They both are." The twins blinked, and blinked again when everyone seemed to nod in acceptance.

"But-

"According to our laws, Callisto should be removed from the throne, however, our laws never took into account unwilling situations. Because the law has failed, and thus wronged someone who is innocent, the law must be changed to better fit reality. As such, we cannot hold the law against her, if the law itself has been seen to be improper."

"Makes sense." Zero agreed. "So what needs to be done?" He turned to the girls. "We still have to meet with the others at Denningrad."

"There's a ritual that must be done, but it doesn't take long. Preparations take roughly half a day. We still have what…a few days before the meeting? Even if they fly as dragoons, it would still take a couple days' travel, and we don't know how exhausting it is to retain that level of focus over an extended period of time. We should be well within any time restraints." Pandora spoke.

Zero nodded. "Alright, do whatever you have to…uhh…is there anywhere I can go to lay down? My head's killing me."

"Alice!" The warrior-general spoke up. A blonde haired girl wearing what resembled a servant's uniform briskly walked up. "Take Lord Zero to the guest quarters until we can secure a proper room for him." She nodded at her orders.

"One of us would do it ourselves, but we need to begin preparations immediately." Pandora said, gently touching Zero's arm. He frowned at her slightly.

"You're my partners, not my servants." He said.

"Perhaps, but while you believe the situation to be balanced, we do not. It is our choice, and you can't say otherwise." She challenged. He just gave a tired laugh.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He shook his head, patting her hand and moving towards the blonde. "Alice, right? Lead the way." She nodded.

* * *

Two days had passed. Zero spent the majority of them asleep, fading in and out of consciousness. He didn't realize it at the time, but his reaction to Adina had shifted something within him. Awoke something beyond his control.

Being surrounded by so much foreign magic had his body reacting oddly, his own magical channels trying to replenish what they could, still on recovery from flying through that distortion and then being blown wide open in response to his mental reaction to not just Lisa being threatened, but his bond-mates as well. He was tired. Weak. Much weaker than ever before, even after having his magic temporarily sealed.

Were he awake, he would possibly have considered reasoning that because he was still 'recharging', and he drew from the world around him when he did, his body absorbing magical energy of a different pattern and wavelength to what it was used to, was causing him to be exhausted while his own magic either adapted to, or purged the foreign substance.

During the time that he slept, the twins carried out their duties as prospective Queens. Or rather, Pandora did. She had ordered Callisto to keep an eye on Zero, while she dealt with 'the boring stuff.'

"I shall tailor all this information for you to better assimilate later. Someone needs to make sure he is alright, and…"

"_And I don't trust the others not to try to kill him while he sleeps. Adina…had an impact on the Clan. A strong one. Many were under her sway, believing her to be the next rightful Queen. She dug in her heels well, and I don't doubt that many resent him, and us, for erasing her."_

Callisto nodded, happy to do it. She remained at his side as often as possible, Pandora sometimes joining her, instructing her on what it was that she'd learned of their responsibilities and rights. Callisto paid as much attention as possible, but both girls knew that until Zero woke back up, neither of them would be able to focus properly.

On the third day, the Clan Advisors gathered with Pandora.

"We must ask…who is he?"

"He is your bond-mate, correct? We must know how this happened."

Warrior-General Arianna was there as well. After practically being endorsed by Zero, prior to his slip into unconsciousness, Pandora had requested the elder woman be her personal guard for the time being, as well as her personal advisor.

"_**There are, after all, some things that can only be properly understood, when looked at from the mind-set of a warrior."**_

"I too would like to know." She admitted.

Pandora sighed. Everything was nearly complete. The glyph to mark them as queen and grant them the power boost the title held was complete. All that was left was to apply it to the ritual field and simply activate it.

"I will attempt to keep this brief. You know of our disappearance, and how it was orchestrated by Adina, apparently. We were waylaid by a group of well trained bandits while on travels to liaise with the Vellweb clan. Mother tried to fight them off, but she couldn't do that and keep us safe at the same time. She was overwhelmed, and we were captured. We watched them slit her throat and leave her to die. For the next six years, we were kept in captivity, taunted, leered at…"

She crossed her arms, holding herself closely. The memory was strong in her mind.

"Every day that passed, we feared it to be our last. We were underfed, malnourished, both from lack of food and after our transition, stimulation. We needed them, more than they needed us. They would touch us…tease us…we were nothing but toys to them. One of them got the idea to just go ahead and dispense with the pleasantries and just finally get to the point. It was then, that Callisto began acting different. She kept their attention by acting like the whore they wanted."

_**In her room, Callisto felt the emotions tied to those memories, filtering through her bond with her twin. She remembered every touch, the ripping feeling inside her as her purity was taken, her voice filled with false pleasure to keep them interested, anything, to keep her sister safe. Every slap, every sloppy drunken kiss, every blade, or whip or fist…she re-lived it all. She did not actively cry, but tears streaked down her face like rain, as she clutched herself, shuddering as her mind replayed every experience down to the minute detail.**_

_**She could remember every scent…every sound…and she felt dirty, unclean. She clawed at her arms, skin tingling with unseen grime and taint. She wanted it gone, she wanted it erased, but no matter what she did…**_

_**The dirty feeling would not leave.**_

"I could do nothing." Pandora continued. "For if I did, I too would share my sister's fate, and who was I to take away her desires? I so dearly wanted to…but even I realized, it would make her actions meaningless. So I played my part. I kept myself uninteresting, unappealing. Thankfully none of them had any awkward tastes in females, so I went ignored, Callisto herself providing the stimulation I required to survive."

Arianna's face was set in stone. Outwardly, she showed no reaction. Internally however, she was frothing at the mouth. One did not become Warrior-General in that clan without being powerful, and were it not for her impressive control, half the enclave would be demolished in her rage.

"We thought this to be our eternal fate. Our bodies unable to properly grow due to combined trauma, and lack of nourishment of any form…"

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"And then…he came."

* * *

"_**Silent and deadly like a hidden shadow. He slid into our room. We were shackled, bound, but given just enough freedom to 'play' with each other, should they demand a show…or if I had need. At first, we thought he was yet another bandit, a new recruit sent to have his fun with us…"**_

He silently closed the door, both girls noting how he cocked his wrist for a moment, before moving away from it. They watched, Pandora with narrow eyes, Callisto with empty ones, as he skirted around the edges of the room.

_Alright…I'm dulled, but I'm pretty sure I'd be able to at least __**vaguely **__sense any monitoring devices…_

They blinked in unison as he knelt down, sweeping his hand on the dusty stone floor, before just remaining there for a few moments.

_Pulses aren't picking up any residual traps…so I guess it's just them._

He stood, wiping off his pant-legs before moving closer to them.

"I guess it's time isn't it." The blue haired girl spoke suddenly. "I've not seen you here before. You must be new. Well then…how can I serve you, master?"

He blinked. _Serve…oh. Oh goddess-ugh. That's…that's just disgusting. Succubi or not they're just children._

"Sorry to disappoint you there, but I'm not into little girls."

Pandora sat straighter. Something was off here. Callisto just went with it.

"Oh come on _Master_. I won't bite…unless you want me to."

"I doubt your mother would be pleased with me if I took you up on your offer."

Callisto froze, staring at him. A spark returned to her eyes.

"tch." He scoffed. "Look at me, gabbing away like some amateur…I'm here on request from your mother. My name…" He stopped for a moment, as if uncertain. "Is Zero. I'm here to free you."

"Haha…" Callisto gave a hollow laugh. "Free us? I doubt your leader would be happy to hear about that."

"Spare us your lies, human. Just do whatever you came here to do and leave us in peace."

He frowned at her. "First off, I'm not human. Well…not _entirely _human. I'm half-wingly."

"_**I didn't believe him. Such a thing was even more legendary than our own people, and blinded by rage, pain and exhaustion, I discounted that because our people existed, his claim was possible."**_

"A likely claim." She muttered.

"As for your offer…"

Callisto's eyes blanked, before she gave a false smile, leaning back and spreading her legs for him. She shuddered as an odd feeling washed over her, before it seemed to become a powerful pressure. She felt it localize around her wrists and ankles, where the shackles were, before they began to disintegrate before her very eyes.

"Wh-what?"

The same thing happened to Pandora. She stared at herself, feeling odd that the weight of the metal was no longer on her body.

"I forgot to mention my _other _ability. I can manipulate the concept of gravity to my whim. It's…fairly useful."

"What game are you playing? You expect us to believe anything you've just told us?" Pandora spat.

"No. I expect you to want to leave badly enough to take a risk. I could always wrap you back up and leave you here if you want…"

Pandora was about to yell when Callisto spoke.

"You…met our…mother?"

She looked at him with eyes full of hope.

"Her spirit. Long story short, I flew through a distortion, now my main magical channels are blocked up. Your mother's spirit asked me to save you two…and considering you're just as 'unusual' a 'creature' as I am…I couldn't say no. Callisto…and Pandora…right? Though I don't know which is which."

Pandora opened her mouth again, but as before, Callisto beat her to it.

"I'm Callisto. You…said your name was Zero…right? Are…are you really…"

He walked over to her, noting the broken look in her eyes, the same broken look he woke up to every day.

"I swear on my life, I tell you the truth. If it's what you want, I can get you out of here."

She nodded. "it is. Please…" She was surprised with how gentle he was with her. The hope…the fear…everything in her was combining, her heart of hearts begging for him to be telling the truth, for it to not be a trick. She took his offered hand, and felt his gentle grip around hers. It was weakened from the rape and torture, but she was still an empath. And she could feel that he meant them no harm.

Pandora was less trusting. She stood on her own, and kept an eye on the man.

"_**It was then, that one of the bandits entered. There was a moment of silence, as he beheld what was going on. He got half a syllable out, before Zero's hand lashed at him, and he became a bloody smear on the wall."**_

"Damn…if the yell didn't warn them, the sound did. They're gonna come to investigate, we have to get out of here."

"_**We ran. We ran as fast as we could. But a group had found us. They pulled their weapons, but Zero just pushed Callisto into my arms before flinging his own out. They were bowled over by the ripple of force that came from him. He reached out to his sides, hands clenching as if gripping something. The walls cracked and shuddered before our very eyes, stone crumbling before compacting together into small javelins. He thrust forward, and all before us were shredded.**_

_**As we ran, doors would fly off their hinges into incoming bandits, their own swords would suddenly fly up and impale them, spikes of earth would rise from the ground as torches and lanterns were launched from their posts, setting many alight. But we were both weak and tired. Callisto had just finished nourishing me, so I was a mite more energized than she, but it was still not enough. He managed to get us out of their compound, but too many were still behind us.**_

_**Callisto and I pooled our energy, and we made a Jump."**_

_**

* * *

**_

"We ended up outside the Valley of Corrupted Gravity. But before we could get our bearings, Zero had already picked Callisto up into his arms and told me to follow. Our glyph had been hastily made. We accidentally brought our pursuers with us. It was in the Valley that we learned that the nature of its make, interfered with Zero's ability to control Gravity. He…looked so broken. He reminded me of Callisto, when he realized that he could do no more.

It was this…that made me feel he was to be trusted. He drew his sword, telling us he would buy us time to escape, because he made a promise. Callisto and I realized that this…this random traveler, waylaid by our mother's spirit, was preparing to die for us. Callisto had long since thrown her trust in him, and seeing how gentle he was with her, as well as seeing his eyes glistening with tears as he prepared to face his end for our sake, I began to trust him as well.

We realized…if we had more _power_, we could easily dispatch these bandits. But both of us were weak, mentally, spiritually, magically and physically, from the years of captivity. We needed to be stimulated, our bodies were stunted from lack of magical circulation. So we came to the conclusion, we would bond with him. We would claim his power as ours, and give ourselves to him in return."

She sighed. The others were just looking at her.

"Can you believe it though? He knew we were succubi…he knew we would be incredibly beautiful women at some point…but he was not corrupt like the others. Looking back…the look on his face when Callisto kissed him to initiate her part of the bond…"

She clutched herself again.

"it makes me sick…" Her eyes grew distant, the others noted. "he looked so horrified. At the time, I couldn't tell if it was because he realized what was going on, or if it was because in his eyes, a child was making out with him…or both. But seeing a man who decimated so many in a single swoop without batting an eyelash…seeing a man completely _ignore _two naked young succubi before him…seeing a man who was prepared to courageously die for the sake of two strange girls whom he had no tie to…"

"To this day, I still feel ill when I recall what we did. I slipped his fingers inside me, noting how the horror came to a crescendo when I did…watching his eyes become blank the way Callisto's would whenever one of the bandits slid themselves within her…even now it makes me wish to vomit. But the feeling was instant…the moment he was inside me, the two of us commanded the way we were taught, and though he had apparently fallen unconscious from the drain upon his essence, we felt our magic latch onto his life.

As the bandits grew closer, we commanded for them to be erased, and for us to find sanctuary. We didn't specify where…but we found out later that before the unusual wind that blew him far off course came, he was heading for Fletz…and that's where we arrived."

Pandora felt an odd pulse in the back of her mind. She tried to follow it, but it flittered away like a fading dream.

_**In her room, Callisto retched. The horrible feelings coursing through her, combined with remembering **__**everything**__** that went on, including what they did to Zero's mind in order to survive…it all built too much. Tears and snot mixed with bile on the floor, as the young almost-queen lost herself in her feelings of disgust, expelling the remnants of the day's lunch on her floor.**_

_**Her room was sealed. No sound could go in or out, all pulses were muffled. She wanted to be alone in her suffering, losing herself in the memory. She was hunched over, clutching her stomach, body shuddering with each breath.**_

_**None who would watch from outside, would ever suspect that she was technically the 'younger' twin.**_

"So it is a bond of necessity?" One advisor questioned.

"It _was_. Now…I am uncertain. You see, it was obviously a burden upon him…but he never treated it as such. We had burdened him with our existence…yet he never _rejected _us. Yes he would complain…but I believe that just to be his way of making sure none forgets what transpired and why. You have seen for yourself its effects, how powerful it is. I cannot say if it is because he is who, or what, he is, or if it is because he is bonded to both of us, and we are twins…"

"For the sake of our future generations, will you be chronicling what transpires from your bond?"

"Is that not one of my duties?"

"Actually it isn't. The bond is…or rather, originally was, a sacred thing. The details of what went on during it were usually omitted, but some of the more technical ones were written, for research and intelligence's sake. We only ask, because yours is so unique."

"Then I shall. If only to warn of future possibilities."

"I thank you, my Queen, for weaving your tale for us. We realize you have had a much harder life than we ever imagined."

"You seem to have landed a good one though. Powerful, intelligent, and willing to kill to defend you."

"And not just after you for sexual purposes."

"My Queen…" Arianna began. "I…am worried for lady Callisto. I fear she may not be as…stable…as she appears."

"She isn't. But none save for her know to what extent that goes. I assure you she is no danger to anyone except those who oppose dear Zero."

Arianna shook her head. "It was not that, my Queen. It was that I'm worried _for _her. While it's no doubt that both of you dealt with horrible trauma, it is fairly obvious she came out the worse of it."

Pandora nodded. "Indeed…but even were I to confront her on the matter, I cannot say I would get the answers I sought."

"Perhaps we can ask Zero to do it?"

Pandora shook her head. "No…he wouldn't unless he cared to himself. As far as he is concerned, our problems are our own until they either forcibly involve him, or we ask him to assist us. He treats his problems the same…but I've noticed he is not unwilling to warn if there _is _a problem. We will simply have to hope she speaks to him on her own, or the bond gives him warning enough to warrant his acting…"

* * *

It was time.

Preparations were completed. The glyph was placed. The clan had gathered to see the ascension of their new rulers. Zero had woken up. He still felt a strange buzzing in his head, but he ignored it.

The ritual began.

Zero was impressed. The amount of magic spiraling around was tightly controlled. He could barely make out a few runes that even the Winglies used for their spells. The power being released from the seal was staggering. However…the buzzing in his head grew worse.

_Maybe…it's because it's such a different concentration of magic?_

He couldn't figure out the source of his headache…but he pushed it aside. His girls were becoming Queens.

…_I thought it was supposed to be over by now._

Something was off. It was taking too long. The ritual should have ended by now. He heard the mutters of some of the crowd, many believing it was because one princess was impure. He pushed aside the urge to crush the pelvises of those voices, instead trying to focus past the buzzing, onto the faint trace of essence that signified his connection to them.

He couldn't, but after a bit he realized what was wrong.

_Callisto._

There was one underlying rule of casting any form of spell, of performing any ritual, no matter what. You had to _believe_ it would work. Pandora was obviously confident…but judging by the _form _of the spiral around Callisto…she wasn't.

And he was right.

Trapped in her memories, she had re-built the feeling of inadequacy. She didn't believe she was worthy of being Queen. Dirty, unclean, impure, disgusting…these were her thoughts, and they were shattering her confidence.

The buzzing grew, but Zero began to feel something familiar. It was here, that he realized it was Callisto. She was feeling what he felt for the longest time, still felt at some points to this day. He knew this ritual would not work, in fact it might even reverse itself, if she didn't change her focus, if she didn't begin to believe in herself. He wanted to help, he was urged to help…but he questioned.

_How can I? Why should I? Because it's 'right?' She is my bond-mate? I didn't ask for this unison…but…can I ignore someone who is so like me?_

_No. I can't._

_But…how can I help?_

As he asked himself this…the buzzing became so loud he dropped to his knees. A single tone, a white noise took over his mind, the same feeling he got when the girls were threatened.

_**Zero.**_

Slowly, he felt the world bleed away.

No sound.

No color.

Nothing.

_**He stood. Unbeknownst to him, his wings appeared, the shimmering glow startling many around him. His hair turned to its natural silver-white, but his eyes…**_

_**His eyes were a different color.**_

The mages surrounding the glyph began to sweat. It was draining them. The ritual was failing.

_**He moved forward, unsteady at first, as if just learning to walk. But slowly his shuffle became proper steps. He pushed through the crowd…no…the crowd parted for him. He began to climb the steps to the miniature altar created for this ritual.**_

"What the hell is he doing?" One cried out.

"If he gets any closer the glyph will-

_**He stepped into the circle. And yet…nothing happened. He continued, moving until he was behind Callisto, her eyes closed.**_

"What…? It's…it's like he's not even there!"

She felt…strange. One minute, she felt like a horrible travesty of life…and the next, she felt as if…it was being taken from her.

_**There was no need for her feelings. The pain…the suffering…none of it was required. It was a hindrance, it needed to go. He pulled it into himself, and then crushed it. He blanketed her existence with nothingness, reducing her feelings to Zero.**_

She felt a sudden calm wash over her. A feeling of contentment…relaxation. It felt…nice. She sighed, feeling peace begin to replace the fear and disgust. She knew she was still unhappy with her existence…but she didn't…_feel _it anymore. Or rather, she did, but it didn't matter.

_**He did not replace her feelings. He did not give her false confidence, false emotion. He merely stripped away that which she did not truly want. He reverted it to blank space, to nothingness, and she filled it in on her own.**_

The feeling of contentment washed over Pandora as well. She opened her eyes to see Zero holding her sister from behind, wings out. She saw him, but he felt…different. There, yet not there, like a ghost. She felt herself…drawn to them. She began to move closer.

_**He felt the other. She was confident, but still held worry within her. He reached for her as well.**_

She felt the foreign presence invade her soul. The blank feeling of emptiness washed over her, leaving her with an odd sensation. She felt her few fears slowly fade…where once there were hints of inadequacy, now was empty space…replaced by confidence. She reached out to him, grasping his hand. He pulled her close, just as he did her sister. The twins embraced, held in each arm by him.

_**The unison was complete. Their minds harmonized, their bodies fueled by their desire. His job was done…those whom he cherished, those whom cherished he, they were now safe.**_

The glyph flared with light. The mages surrounding it were thrown back from the force of the reaction. As the dust settled, the clan witnessed the girls with a powerful glow around them, Crowns upon their head.

The ritual was a success.

"All hail the new Rulers!"

A resounding cry of joy rung through the halls.


	4. Chaos

King Zior and his two daughters, flanked by a small group of knights, stared at the ruined city of Denningrad. All were awed at the destruction. Buildings had been toppled; vending carts had been shredded, their wares coating the streets. Pieces of glass, fragments of shrapnel, all littered the town, as the group slowly made their way towards the castle, they all took note of blown out windows, roofs missing from houses, weapons scattered about.

"Soa's Grace…" King Zior muttered, the large man stunned at the sight. "What happened here?"

"Father…" Lisa spoke quietly. Getting the king's attention, he turned to where she was pointing. A row of grave markers, simple…save for one that was all the way back. Curious, he informed the knights to stand guard, while the three of them inspected it.

It was a massive slab of stone, words carved into the face as if by an expert hand.

**Alicia**

**May the light of your smile forever illuminate the darkness of our hearts.**

The headstone was surrounded by many, many beautiful flowers. The obvious care and attention this grave received showed how important this 'Alicia' was to whomever buried her here.

"My Liege!"

The king turned around. He noticed an armored woman standing amongst his knights.

"A messenger from the castle. The Queen wishes to see you."

"Thank you captain. We move at once."

* * *

"King Zior. It is an honor to have you here once again." Queen Theresea gave a weary smile. The king nodded his head as his daughters gave a small curtsey.

"The honor is once again, mine." He responded. Her smile grew a bit brighter.

"Still a flatterer. As wonderful as it is to see you, I am a bit curious as to the nature of your visit…though were I to hazard a guess…"

He nodded again. "I noticed the strange shaft of light from the castle window. I grew worried, and decided to see if you needed assistance."

She sighed. "I thank you for your concern. Alas…normally I would regret your arrival at this time, but for once, I am glad it took you this long. I would not have wanted your men involved in what transpired…" She gave a soft frown.

Before Zior could question further, a woman silently stepped forward from the side. "My Lady, it is time for the visit."

Theresea nodded. "Yes…thank you. Would you like to join me, Zior? It is but a minor task, a simple trip to the near-by hospital for a moment."

"By all means."

As the small group of King and Queen, the King's daughters and a couple knights from both kingdoms walked, the Queen opened up on the week's events.

"It all started when Luanna told me of the most curious man she met…"

* * *

"_Dear gods!" A voice near them rang out. The three turned to see a woman staring right at them._

"_How do you yet live?" she cried out._

_The twins glared, ready to tear the woman to shreds, but Zero simply blinked._

"…_have we met before, to garner such a reaction?"_

_The woman seemed to shiver, before she shook her head. The lady next to her was just staring at her, open-mouthed._

"_No…I…" She sighed, collecting herself. "My apologies. I am Luanna, Second Sacred Sister. I have long since lost my eyesight, but in return I have gained the ability to behold the souls of those I encounter. I apologize again…I was taken aback by the amount of pain and sorrow within yours…"_

_He gave a tired smile. "No problem then." He turned around and began walking away._

"_And to answer your question..."_

_He stopped, taking in the view of the castle, a sight that always gave him hope. Built by his people to sublimate, shattered by the King of Dragons, releasing the taint of Destruction's essence…yet still it held. Much like himself._

"_I'm not too sure myself."_

_

* * *

_

"_Luanna, what troubles you? I've not seen you this shook up since Lloyd came and spirited me away."_

"_I am sorry my Queen…but…there is a man…currently in the city."_

_Usually she would chuckle at that, but the tone of Luanna's voice gave her pause._

"_He has…a great darkness within his soul. A pain and sorrow of the likes I have never seen before…as if his very existence brings him agony. He was flanked by two women, with dark souls as well…but they still held a powerful light within them."_

"_Two, __**beautiful **__women." Sacred Sister Setie elaborated. "Extremely beautiful. I think they're succubi actually, with the way the men were staring at them."_

_Luanna nodded. "My Queen…I only bring this to your attention because of the nature of the soul. Pain…anguish…all of those negative feelings lead to an immense hatred…one that I fear he already holds. But…it is not its existence that I fear…no…" she 'looked' away, as if beholding something beyond her comprehension._

"_No…it is the fact that he seems to be fighting that hatred, accepting it yet denying it at the same time. I felt immense power within him, my Queen. I fear for what will happen should his restraint fail."_

"_We shall remove him then." Sacred Sister Wink spoke._

_Luanna shook her head violently. "No! To do so could…no. As he is, he is no threat to us, or our city. We need not give him reason to loose his hatred upon us. No…I felt a desire for knowledge from him, from all of them. They are looking for something. I believe we should assist them."_

_

* * *

_

"A man with immense darkness within his soul…" King Zior muttered.

"**Zero.**" His daughters spoke as one. The Queen whirled around in surprise.

"You know him?"

The king gave a humorless chuckle.

"Indeed we do. He arrived at my castle with two completely naked children, doing the most unspeakable of acts upon them. The teleportation glyph put everyone on edge, but as the girls stepped away, we all noticed he was unconscious. We beheld as the girls seemed to age before our very eyes. They held each other for a moment, before introducing themselves."

"They were the Princesses of a nearby colony of Succubi that we had good relations with." Lisa continued for her father. "They had apparently just spent the last six years in captivity, and the man between them had risked life and limb to rescue them, on a promise he made to the spirit of their dead mother."

"We quickly arranged rooms for all of them, just as our mutually favorite group of Dragon Knights arrived in town for a reunion." Theresea gave a small smile at that, she recalled the group that helped her people.

"Two days later, as we were settling in for dinner, he woke." Emille spoke.

"He looked…horrible. As if the very life had been drained out of him. He was escorted by one of my servants to the hall, where he dropped heavily into his chair. He nodded to us all, obviously far too tired to do anything more. It was as we were eating…did disaster strike."

The group had stopped just outside the castle, Theresea unable to move until she heard the rest.

"A very dangerous man had entered the castle undetected." Zior spoke. "His ability to cloak himself in…what was it Zero described it as…ah yes, a 'magical field that bent light around him, to appear as if he were invisible', was what allowed him access. He grabbed my dear Lisa right out of her chair, holding a knife to her throat. We all rose but we could do nothing to save her…"

"And then Zero dropped out of his chair, clutching his head." Lisa continued. "Everything stopped as we all watched as he seemed to have some sort of attack. He yelled out, and in a spray of blood, six glowing wings emerged."

Theresea nodded, she'd seen his wings for herself.

"At that moment, his hair seemed to flicker as if in an illusion, revealing itself to be a pale silver-white, and while his face was covered in his left hand, his fingers were spread enough for one glowing red eye to be seen."

"After that, he somehow bound the bandit with an invisible field." Zior continued for Lisa. "And moments later, the man's heart came tearing right out of his chest."

"Dear gods!" Theresea exclaimed.

"We all stared at it, before he seemed to smirk, and crush it in his hand. The bandit died right there, and the captain of my guard came to investigate the commotion."

"Upon seeing Zero with wings outstretched, the captain immediately declared him to be the problem, and tried to attack, only to be crushed by the same force that bound the bandit. From there, it was revealed that Zero _hated _those who judged people by race, and I finally was able to convince father that the man Zero had just killed, was unfit to be captain in the first place.

And yet from there, we _all _learned Zero's past. He was born to a human mother, and a Wingly father. His people killed his mother before his very eyes, and treated him worse than an insect. He was hated, ridiculed, insulted, beaten, tortured, and finally, only a few years ago, left to die in the wilderness, all because he was born a half-breed."

Theresa nodded again. Something close to that had been revealed during the week's events.

"So you too have been touched by him. How ironic."

"Indeed. May I ask what he did here?"

"What didn't he do?" Theresea chuckled out. "You saw the destruction on the way here. Luanna's prediction turned true. Only it wasn't just him. The legendary Moon Child is here as well." The group blinked.

"Queen Theresea. You have arrived." An older looking woman spoke. Dressed in pale white regal robes, she bowed to the group. "King Zior, I presume. It is an honor to meet you."

"You have me at a disadvantage."

"I am Elder Sabrina. I…have had a hand in the week's events."

"I still have not been informed as to the full story." Theresea spoke, slightly irritated.

"My apologies…I would tell you now, but I would rather Seth be awake first."

"Seth?" Lisa questioned.

"You know him…as Zero…" Sabrina spoke, sadly.

"Zero's name is Seth?" Lisa blinked.

"Yes…that was his birth name. The…the village…the people decided he wasn't worth anything, long before he could grow…so they began calling him a 'zero'."

"And you did nothing to stop it?" Lisa was growing angry.

Sabrina bowed her head. "…at the time…I was more focused on keeping the village from crumbling from within…I held no ill will against him, but my role as leader…it clouded my view." She gave a weak laugh, filled with pain. "Alas…if only I had his ability to foresee the coming days…"

"What do you mean?" Theresea asked, wanting to know more of the man whose mental breakdown nearly destroyed her entire city.

"Even as a child…he was able to predict events. When he spoke…he spoke of things far beyond his knowledge, and they all came true. Had I his foresight…I'd have realized the corruption…the meaningless hatred in my people…and I'd have been able to better act. But no…I've done him a disservice…and he has repaid me in kind. Now, the people of my village are all but erased by the hand of the one they shunned…and not even by his will…"

"Not by his will?" King Zior parroted, very confused.

"Indeed…this…release, was due to the foolishness of my people. Alas…it was a long time in coming."

Sensing she would get no further answers, Lisa chose to ask a different question.

"We saw an ornate grave on the way here. Who was Alicia?"

Sabrina stopped.

"She…was the trigger for all this."

She said no more, continuing on, towards the hospital turned Inn, where their destination lay.

* * *

"Eh? Oh, Queen Theresea. How are you today?" An upbeat voice spoke. The owner was a pale white-haired girl with glowing red eyes, dressed like-

"Shana?" Lisa and Emille exclaimed.

The girl smiled. On her lap rest Zero, unconscious. The twins, Pandora and Callisto were sitting on opposite sides of him, each holding a hand. The rest of the group known as the Dragoons, were scattered about the large area, some sporting bandages.

"You don't recognize me like this, do you? It's alright. I wouldn't recognize me either." She said, chipper.

"Wh-what happened to you, girl?" Zior asked, just as surprised.

"_The Legendary Moon Child was here as well."_

"_Hell, one of them was the bloody Moon Child!"_

"You…" Lisa began. "You're the _Moon Child_, aren't you?" Her father and sister whirled around to her.

Shana gave a small smile. "Yep."

"The one who will bring Salvation to the world…I take it…that is the reason for the change?"

"It is."

"It seems our mutual friend has stirred up another hornet's nest hasn't he? Poor thing. How is he doing?"

"He's alright. Just asleep. I figured I'd hold on to him until he wakes up…just in case." Shana explained.

"Indeed…" Lisa didn't know how to ask.

"You're wondering what happened aren't you? How much do you know?"

"Only that someone named Alicia was the center of a mental breakdown he had, which somehow led to the city being decimated."

"Alicia…was a little girl. No older than ten. We saw it all. There was a Wingly…a group of them. She was one of them. They were calling him all sorts of horrible things, blaming him for things he couldn't have possibly done. I could feel his anger…everyone could, but they kept going…until that girl ran to him."

* * *

"_Mister Pretty Wings!"_

_Zero's hate filled glare vanished instantly, as his mind processed the strange thing he was just called._

**Wait what?**

_Suddenly he was tackled by a small child._

"_It's really you! You're back, Mister Pretty Wings!"_

**I…what?**

"_Remember me? Alicia? I was a lot smaller when you left. Momma and I have missed you a lot…even though Daddy doesn't like you, but Daddy's a meanie, he hurt momma for giving you that scroll before the bad people chased you away. He hurt me for missing you but I didn't stop. You were a nice person Mister Pretty Wings."_

_His confusion was almost palpable. For the first time that any had known him, they'd seen him completely stumped. He was too distracted to notice the angry scowl grow deeper on the man whom had confronted him._

"_I lost a lot of friends when I said I missed you…but the Elder was always nice to me. I wouldn't trade them for you any day Mister Pretty Wings! You were always so kind to us, even though they hurt you and called you mean things all the time. They said you'd died, that you weren't good for anything, but I believed in you! I knew you were special the moment I saw your special wings, but nobody believed me. They said your wings were broken, but I thought it looked more like you just had more of them! I always thought more was supposed to be better. They were stupid. But I didn't care, I believed in you and that was good enough!"_

**I was…missed? She…what? Believed…in me?**

"_I got really mad at the Elder one day, because she didn't tell everyone else to shut up. She said that she couldn't, her job was to keep the village together, even if it meant getting rid of someone who didn't do anything wrong. I never wanted to be elder again after that…I don't wanna be in charge of people who I can't even get rid of. I told the elder I wished I had wings like yours, and that seemed to make her happy, but I don't know why. She doesn't make sense…sending you away but missing you? Adults are dumb."_

"_Yeah…" Zero finally got a single word in. "Yeah they are."_

_The twins just stared at the little girl who was gabbering away at their bondmate, as if she had encountered a lost friend._

_It happened in a flash. The girl's father finally having enough, not only having to share the same space as that abomination, but his own daughter yelling to the world his deeds. In a blink of light, his wings were out, energy already charged in hand._

_Zero was so bewildered he didn't notice the warning from his senses before it was too late. There was a large blast heading his way, and he could do nothing to stop it._

* * *

"She…jumped in the way."

The girls gasped.

"No…"

Shana just nodded sadly. "Her own father killed her. From the sounds of it, he wasn't unhappy that he missed at all. The twins were ready to kill the bastard when the ground began to crack."

* * *

"_A…Alicia?"_

_The girl gasped in pain. She was dying._

"_I'm…sorry…Mister Pretty Wings…"_

"_Why…? I eat those!"_

"_You've been…hurt…enough…I-_

_She took a shuddering breath._

"_I…didn't want…you to hurt…anymore…"_

_He held her hand tightly in his own._

"_I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"_

"_Don't…don't cry…Mister Pretty Wings…it's ok…they never…taught you…the glyph signing…"_

"_I should have looked anyway! I could-_

_She put a finger to his lips, soft smile on her face._

"_It's alright…I…I owed you…"_

_He looked at her, confused._

"_If…if you didn't…live…daddy would have just…hurt me more…he wanted…a boy…"_

_His eyes widened, then narrowed, the brown he used as an illusion slowly bleeding into his natural red._

"…_you…kept me safe…just…just by…living…thank…"_

_She didn't get to finish her sentence, her last breath coming out in a sigh. Zero's mind began to fragment. Slight threads of sanity began to rip in twain. Having the revelation that someone in the world of his past cared for him, but was unable to show it…and having them ripped from him so suddenly. He slowly reached to her chest, praying for a heartbeat…but nothing. He gently wrapped his arms around her form, pulling her close to him. The ground beneath them seemed to crumble, pieces of stone and dirt rising._

_

* * *

_

"It was then…that my forehead split open with light. See, usually when my power triggered it manifested as a symbol on my forehead, and a wall of energy erupting from me. But when that happened this time, I felt everything he felt." Shana explained.

"You see…my power…the Moon Child…has the power over the concept of Destruction itself. And at that moment, my head was filled with _knowledge_. I _knew _what he was feeling, I _knew _that his entire mindset has just snapped. He was stuck between crying out in sorrow, and screaming in rage. He wanted to destroy everything…but he wanted to touch nothing, in fear of tarnishing Alicia's memory."

"We felt some of what he was feeling, but it was so jumbled our bond could only send one message into our minds. **Chaos**." Pandora spoke.

"His…unleashing…seems to have triggered my own 'evolution' so to speak. The Moon Child is the 108th race of the Divine Tree. We…I…am technically 'above' all the other races, but I could never understand how. What I figure, is that maybe within me is the soul of a part of every race created. Because when he unleashed everything, my hair changed to white, and my eyes turned red…and I grew wings."

"Wings?"

In answer to the question, two small shafts of light gently erupted from her back, before literally twitching and then splitting into six strands, before a small but brilliant flash revealed glowing blue-white wings, similar to Zero's own.

"Oh wow…"

"How did Dart and the others get injured?" King Zior asked.

Shana gave a nervous giggle, her wings fading. "That…was my fault. You see, when he 'unleashed' I felt everything he did, I heard and felt his desires…and his unspoken cry for everything to return to…well…nothing. 'What began as Zero, shall return as such.' Was the message in my head. He's learned the meaning of his chosen name, and at that moment, all he wanted was for everything to be destroyed. So…I latched on to that feeling, and took it into myself. While his body…released the power it did, I focused his rage and hatred."

* * *

_Beneath him, a glowing rift formed. His body began to be surrounded by light, his arms and legs curled up, Alicia's form wrapped tightly in his embrace. The rift turned into a shape, a small circle with lines of light streaming through. The lines of light formed into a cross, the 'bottom' of it stretching out before twisting into a sideways eight, the symbol for eternity. A glowing form of that of a pair of feathered wings opened up on the 'left' and 'right' sides of the ringed cross, before flickering and turning into six sword shapes._

_Zero…had finally found and created his Glyph._

_A massive ring of unknown symbols, even to the Winglies appeared around the glyph. Waves of force suddenly began ripping out of the sphere, sending shockwaves of power through the land._

_As Shana's mind was filled with information, her body undergoing slight changes to better accommodate for the new power being flooded into her, a slight but noticeable wind began picking up. A spiral of dust began swirling towards the sphere, now beginning to turn a brilliant silver._

_Suddenly Shana's back erupted in a fierce glow, two brilliant streams of energy ripping from her. She gave out a surprised cry, misinterpreted by the others as pain, as the two streams began to take the shape of feathered wings, before bursting into feather shaped energy, leaving behind six glowing blue-white streams of light._

_As her head began to clear, Shana understood. He was getting ready to erase everything around him. She couldn't let that happen. Not fully knowing what she was doing, she reached out to him, stretching both arms and focusing inward, calling to him in her mind to let her help him. She too was a 'freak', an 'abomination'. As the Moon Child, she could help him focus his rage, let it strike those who deserved it. She could help him release his anger, and still keep Alicia's memory safe._

_He accepted._

_Energy crackled around the sphere. Seven glowing lights formed, one red, one blue, one yellow, one green, one black, one white, and one violet. His glyph appeared around him, each sword glowing a different color, as the cross itself flared violet._

"_Dart! Draw your sword!" Shana yelled out._

"_Wh-what?"_

"_Just DO it!"_

_He drew, and before he knew it, Shana was on him, a blade summoned from literally thin air in hand._

"_Shana! What are you-_

"_Just shut up and fight Dart!"_

_

* * *

_

"The glyph fired off every possible element we could think of. I couldn't stop the civilian casualties though…but…"

She looked unhappy that she was going to say what she was going to say.

"It's better…if some people die…than everyone. I won't sleep well knowing I've helped innocent people die…but…as much as I hate to admit it to myself…between them…and the world…no…"

She shook her head. "I won't lie…he wouldn't."

She sighed. "Between them…and Dart? I'll pick Dart every time."

Before any could respond, Zero began to stir. Shana removed her hands from the sides of his head, where she was keeping contact, hoping her presence could bring him some level of peace. He slowly sat up, with the help of the twins.

All were silent as he began to open his eyes.

* * *

There was someone here.

Someone familiar.

A presence…one he recognized.

Yet it did not fill him with comfort.

It angered him. This presence…the one it belonged to…

His eyes opened.

"Elder." He spat.

* * *

_He just woke up…and already he's angry. And I deserve every modicum of it._

"Seth." She gently spoke by way of greeting. She flinched slightly as she noticed his muscles tense further.

"Here to finish the job while I'm recovering?" He growled out.

_I can't say I blame him for believing so._

She gave a humorless smile. "The vast majority of the villagers are gone by your hand. There would be no need, even were I to still be Elder. The week's events have taught me much."

"Well then, I'm right glad to have been use to you finally." He didn't sound it at all. It was obvious to everyone that he was just getting more and more agitated.

"Why are you here then?"

"I can't be present for the recovery of one of my people?"

That.

Was apparently the wrong thing to say.

In an instant, every nearby window was violently blown out. A powerful wave of pressure washed over everyone present, the feeling as if their very bodies were about to be crushed by an unimaginable force held sway. Beds around him were suddenly crushed and shredded, cloth and stone ripped and torn.

His mouth opened to speak, perhaps to yell at her, condemn her words, her existence. His body tensed as if he were to erase her, demand his vast power over gravity itself to crush her into nothing…

When suddenly he froze. His body stilled, his mouth closed.

The pressure vanished in an instant, leaving some to wonder if they'd imagined it.

His head bowed.

_**Why do you hate? Why do you rage? These feelings do nothing for you. You push them away, you bottle them…for what reason? If they do naught, erase them. If they only restrain you, release them. Return them to the nothing they came from. Fight not yourself, fight not your emotions. For to do so is to condemn them, to deny them, and to deny them is pointless. Better not to feel, than to have and not use.**_

_**Release yourself. Unleash yourself. Keep that which you need, that which you desire, and return the rest to the Origin of all.**_

_**Let your existence flow freely, mind, body and soul. All began as zero, and all shall return to it.**_

His eyes opened.

The moment they did, the Elder slammed into the far wall, the structure cracking but holding.

_His…eyes…Silver?_

"You have lost the right to refer to me as such long ago. Your desire for retribution will be acknowledged. You will answer my questions."

"Y-yes." It was hard to speak. The pressure against her body was unimaginable. She couldn't fight even if she wanted to, barely managing not to be turned into a fine paste by radiating her magical energy as a protective field, being careful not to appear as a threat.

The twins were staring at him at first, and then, as if a divine hand had grasped their heads, they turned to the Elder as well.

_Their…eyes…silver too?_

The same feeling that flooded through them both when they were ascending to Queenship had appeared again. An empty yet full embrace of an otherworldly force. As if the very core of existence itself had come and graced them with its presence.

"Where is Izanami?"

_Izanami? That soul stealing staff-blade? The forbidden weapon created by the work between Melbu Frahma and Faust?_

"N-no! It is forbidden!"

The only warning they had, was Zero blinking.

Light itself seemed to vanish for a split second. After which there was a loud crunching sound.

The Elder screamed.

Her right arm had been pulverized. The bones within shattered, muscles were torn to shreds, the flesh perforated with gaping holes, before it simply vanished, a large gash in the wall next to her, decorated with blood.

"THE VILLAGE!" She screamed out.

Oh glorious gods she was in pain. She felt every injury before the arm vanished, so for her brain it wasn't as if it had just registered her arm not being there. The nerves were set alight by the agony before it vanished.

"Beneath…beneath the village! In the shrine you were never allowed into!" She cried out.

"I ask, for my magical channels were blocked for a time, by an unknown force directing me over Vellweb, where I flew too close to a distortion. My connection with the weapon was severed, and my ability to summon it impaired."

"Y-you could…call it?" The Elder blocked out the pain, staring at him in shock.

"It was a gift from Alicia's mother. The first gift I was ever given. It was what kept me safe, after Death itself rejected me."

The way he spoke…it unnerved everyone. Even though the complete _obliteration _of Sabrina's arm made some sick to their stomach, his complete lack of feeling, his lack of emotion for anything, beyond the norm, was what made them feel disturbed.

"Are there any protections?"

She shook her head. She wouldn't say more. She couldn't. She swore an oath.

Crunch-**THOOM**

She screamed again, louder this time.

Her left leg was gone.

"M-my…b-blood."

He tilted his head.

"Callisto."

The sky blue haired succubus nodded, and walking, as if uncaring. Pandora got up as well, vanishing in a cloud of wispy darkness, before appearing again, holding a small beaker.

"How much?"

"T-Ten drops…will break…the seal."

Pandora moved to the woman's side. Callisto called her blade to her hand and rammed it in the woman's arm. The blood flowed freely down the blade, into the beaker. Pandora waited until the beaker was nearly full before topping it and stepping away, her sister violently ripped the short blade out of the woman's arm, and wiped the blood on the Elder's clothing, before banishing her weapon and returning to Zero's side.

"There is a book in Ulara. Within it are many of our legends. There is one in particular, that I would have you hear…"

* * *

_**The Goddess Soa wished to create the ultimate race. A group of beings to defend her planet, to act as its minders, its guardians. Surely, such a race would need power. Thus, she created Giganto. But they were too physically oriented. Their size and power were commendable, but their simple minds were too weak to grasp the truths of the world.**_

_**Thus, later after many more failures, she created the Dragons. These powerful majestic creatures could surely be the protectors of the world she desired. But it wasn't enough. The dragons had a flaw. They were too big. Their power and size were far too large to populate the world. They would end up destroying it, rather than defending it.**_

_**Thus, she created the humans. And the humans seemed to be her best work. They were smaller than Giganto and Dragons, they held intelligence greater than Giganto, they could comprehend divinity such as herself, like the Dragons. They were adaptable, like the Giganto, but not as destructive as the Dragons. But she found two weaknesses within them. They were short-lived, for one. A human's lifespan could only last roughly a century, and much of that time was spent in a form that was far too weak for battle. The second was that while imbued with magic, they could barely touch their potential.**_

_**Thus, the Winglies were created. Taking the template of the humans, she imbued them with much magical strength, and gave them the remedy for the previously unseen third weakness. She gave them the ability to fly. But even then, she realized, while the Winglies could touch the skies to better protect the world, and they could wield magic effortlessly…they were not as adaptable as the humans. They were longer lived, but they **_**forced **_**change rather than changed with the world.**_

_**But by then, the Goddess realized, with this many races, her world would be perfectly safe. Each race had something that made them susceptible to the others in case something went wrong. She was satisfied with her work.**_

_**However, she came to understand one final thing.**_

_**The humans and Winglies were made from similar templates. What would happen if the two were to mix? A wondrous creation no doubt. This being would have the strengths of both races, and none of the inherent weaknesses! Truly this would be the ultimate race!**_

_**Though she knew this, the Goddess decided not to merge the two together. She chose to leave them separate, wishing for harmony amongst her people, for surely a perfect race introduced into the world, would disrupt the balance she'd finally created. And as that thought struck her, she moved.**_

_**Thus, she created the Moon Child. The God of Destruction. Should the Ultimate Being be created, the Moon Child would be born as well, to counter the power of the unison. Should this being become too powerful, the Moon Child would bring balance, by erasing the world and starting it anew. The Moon Child would be given power just enough to counter and defeat the Ultimate Being. This was the Goddesses will, her failsafe to keep her world from being erased without method of returning it.**_

_**

* * *

**_

"After a time, I realized that this legend came first. Long since forgotten over the legend of the Moon Child, which spelled the destruction of this world. I am not the first of my kind. I am the second. The first, killed during the Dragon Campaign, long before they could realize their potential. Melbu Frahma used the now summoned soul of the Moon Child as his magical amplifier, sealing the body away."

"W-why tell me this?"

"So you may ponder it as you meet your end."

With that, the air around him grew cold. Wisps of frost gathered at his sides, slowly condensing into solid forms, small lances of ice. His will complete, he was to direct them to strike out at the Elder, to pierce her heart, and throat respectively, so her death would be certain.

At that moment, a thought broke through the haze of emptiness that filled the minds of the Twins. A single logical notion that shattered the haze of false bliss, the peace that had overtaken their minds due to the bond.

"Master wait!" They cried out as one. The now flying spears halted where they were, just inches from the elder's flesh.

"We do not mean to question your will, master…" Pandora began. "But wouldn't it be more prudent to allow her to live for the moment?" Callisto continued.

He looked at the two, silver eyes showing no emotion. Callisto pushed on.

"If a complication arises, wouldn't it be best to keep her around, until you've successfully re-bonded with the Izanami?"

He stared at them. There was a tinkling noise like gently breaking glass. The ice lances had shattered.

"You have a point. I did not see that possibility." He admitted, voice slowly re-gaining emotion.

"It's alright, Master." Pandora gently comforted. "This is only the second…perhaps third time that such an event has happened. It will take a few times before you retain your sense of being in that state."

"I suppose." He said, eyes turning back to red.

"Forgive me." Queen Theresea spoke. "But I have a question I've been itching to know since I was a child."

The room blinked at her. A woman had just been not only nearly killed inside her own hospital, but her arm and leg had been blown off in a display of immense ungodly power, and she was ignoring it? Or was it perhaps that after her trip with Lloyd, her mind had been opened to the possibility of one having to perform heinous acts in order to secure one's own existence…

"How is it that you are able to wield the magic you can?"

Zero opened his mouth to answer, but the Elder spoke first.

"No…! You cannot-

Her voice was silenced by a pulse of force from the young hybrid.

"I do believe I've had enough of you attempting to tell me what I can and cannot do." Another pulse and the wall cracked further, Elder spitting out a mouthful of blood before her head bobbed low. She was not dead, merely unconscious, though the silent spell the twins weaved upon her would make her wish she was.

"As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted…"

He shifted slightly, letting the twins slip next to him again.

"Winglies are taught Energy Manipulation at a young age. This is simple formless molding of the natural powers around us. It's similar in how we unlock our wings and fly with them. As we age, we are taught the six core runes that make up our main glyphs, learning how to feel and control the energies they release. These runes equate to one of six elements, earth, water, fire, wind, darkness and light. Our magic is mostly symbolic, that is to say, the methods of which we cast, is based in forming 'written' symbols."

Meru was nodding. She remembered this part.

"Now, in the old days, it was a cakewalk for us to simply fuse runes together, or use them in sequence to trigger the event we wanted, but now, with us weaker, we've turned to Glyphs. Glyphs _were _used back then, but they were mostly Family Symbols, personal calling cards of influential or powerful persons. A Glyph is comprised of a rune-fusion that then acts as an all around command of the elements we wish to manipulate. Glyphs used to vary from person to person, or group to group, but now, we have a few, what is to be called, 'stock Glyphs'."

Dart noticed Meru nodding along, remembering her own lessons.

"Since these 'stock Glyphs' are even more general than before, they can be used by practically any Wingly. The difference in them is merely cosmetic and where they originally came from. However what is to be noted is that there is a certain level of…synchronicity that goes on between Wingly and Glyph. When a Wingly hits the age of 16, they are then given access to the 'stock Glyphs' and are tested compatibility with them. When one with the highest response is found, the Wingly is then taught how to 'weave' the Glyph with their personal magic."

"I've seen that before. We all have." King Zior spoke. "The Wingly, Lenus, attacked Dart and the others a year ago. We watched the battle. Every time she performed a powerful spell she had to wave her hand around."

Zero nodded. "That's correct. The higher tier of elemental manipulations comes from synchronizing the will of the caster with the world. These stock Glyphs are all generalized, capable of tapping into the core elements, and only the amount of power and desire placed in them determines what spell comes out. The 'ring' that is 'drawn' first is the containment seal. It binds the world to our will for the next few moments.

What human mages _haven't _figured out however, is that the ring is also a 'marker' seal. Within the few seconds of drawing the ring, the caster then designates whom the target of the spell is to be. Some spells are known as 'Area of Effect' spells. They can be targeted, but their effects are so wide that they hit whomever is in range of the target. Those tend to be the higher end manipulations."

"Why couldn't we tell what she was going to use before it happened? She could fling basically any element at us and we had no warning." Albert noted.

"Because the element and spell are dictated by the caster upon completing the containment seal. We've become so weak that we cannot easily just manipulate the elements freely as we used to, so we're taught how to form patterns that the world recognizes, contained within the seal and commanded by the glyph. Most casters, be they creature or sentient, stick with spells of or close to their element. Winglies don't have to do this, so you can't ever truly tell what's coming until it comes…unless you're a Wingly."

"Why?" Shana asked from behind, her hair finally returned to its natural brown.

"Because so far only Winglies have been able to sense ambient magic in an area. What we can do on instinct is sense magical objects, locations and people. This sense translates in being able to tell what element is coming, because as one draws the Glyph, they have to focus on a rune that determines what element they wish to wield at the time. It's probably possible for other races to achieve these abilities, but so far none have come close."

She nodded.

"That's…" Meru began, nervously. "That's why I don't throw spells left and right…I never learned how to form a Glyph. I left…before I was taught."

"At least you chose to leave." Zero countered. Meru just nodded sadly.

"So the Glyphs are the key?" Lisa prodded gently.

"No. The Glyphs are…uhh…" Zero blinked. "Actually…in a sense…you're right. They're more the trigger, but at the same time, without them, nothing would happen. So yeah, the glyphs are key."

"And what's the difference between personal Glyphs again?"

"Mostly cosmetic. But now, a Personal Glyph is the sign of a powerful Wingly. Every now and then you find a Wingly who just doesn't connect with any of the Stock. So that Wingly has to forge their own. The result tends to be a tighter connection to the world when casting, as well as not needing to weave it."

"Eh? Why not?" Meru asked. She never got this far in her lessons.

"Because a Personal Glyph is recognized by the world as a _Command _glyph. It remembers these glyphs because they belong to people strong enough to command the magic, not just influence it like most mages. We don't have to weave the glyph, because we instead weave the _world_. The glyph 'activates' when we need to convert a good range of the area around us to our magical pattern, so we can control it better."

"So that's why Lloyd was so powerful…" Miranda muttered. Zero nodded to her.

"He probably had a Personal Glyph of his own. Someone with a Personal Glyph can sometimes still use Stock Glyphs, but they tend to stick to their own because it has a better feeling to it, along with an easier effect."

"And how does one make a Personal Glyph, Master?" Pandora asked.

"By giving themselves to the World. Connecting Mind and Soul to the very planet itself. It's a difficult task, and many Winglies who tried it were _rejected_. You see, a Command Glyph gives someone potential access to a very powerful and dangerous ability called a 'Reality Marble.'"

"A…what?" Haschel asked, not noticing Pandora's eyes widen.

"A Reality Marble is essentially a location converted to a person's existence. Ahh…no…I can do better than that. Basically, imagine a forest. That forest has all manner of creatures living in it. Now, imagine a house suddenly appearing in that forest. Now, imagine that _anything _is possible within that house, and only within that house. However, the existence of the house disrupts the existence of the forest, so the creatures all band together to try to remove the house or demolish it.

Essentially, that's what a Reality Marble is. It's an 'enclosed space' in the world, designated by the creator, in which they are God. It's a tiny 'pocket universe' where whoever made it can dictate whatever goes on within. An entire location is changed to an alternate space where only the creator can say what is real. For example, if someone made a Reality Marble, they could dictate that what we know as up, is down, and what we know as right is up, and left is backwards. Someone trying to move right would suddenly find themselves jumping, and someone trying to jump would smash their head on the ground.

The World, however, doesn't like the thought of an area it cannot control, and thus fights against it, except under certain circumstances. So more often than not, someone with inferior control or reserves to resist the world's intent to crush them, will die when they attempt to create a Personal Glyph."

They all stared at him.

"And…what of you…Master?" Callisto requested.

"Well…I'm still here aren't I? I'm going to guess that the World needs me for something…because I sure as hell didn't intend to make a Personal Glyph at all. Everything just…happened."

"Alright." Meru said. "Let me summarize then. We cast magic through Energy Manipulation, which is the act of converting the energy around us to a form we can use. From there, we can infuse a combination of runes to form a Glyph, which triggers a response from the world, for something to happen, like a beam of light or pillar of flame." Zero nodded.

"Until 16, Winglies can only manipulate energy itself, not actual elements, but when they hit that age, they're taught how to form Glyphs, which then convert that energy and will into a spell. Because of the weakness in Winglies now, our conversions aren't as intense, and are weaker than they were generations ago. As a product of this, we can't any longer easily form new Glyphs, instead relying on older, common ones."

"To add to that." Zero said. "At this rate, if the Wingly race still exists in a few more centuries, our current Glyphs will be no more powerful than Runes, and we'll end up with just Energy Manipulation."

"But…what about the sand thing you did?" Callisto asked.

Meru's head snapped towards Zero. "**Sand** thing?"

"We encountered a problem at their home. That's…that wasn't a spell. That was just manipulation."

"Impossible!" Meru yelled out. "Sand manipulation hasn't been seen since the time of Melbu Frahma!"

"Not magic. Gravity."

She stared in shock. "You…you're a…oh _crap _how could I forget?"

"Yeah. I was kicked out _long _before I could learn or sync with any glyphs. Everything I know is from a few books I was given by…Alicia's mother…that I found in my bag…and my own personal experiments. So in the end, I learned how to manipulate vague similarities to elements by combining my gravity skill with my energy manipulation. I took rocks and just ground them up until they were clouds of dust and grain, and then just moved them around."

"…Genius…" Meru stared. Not only were her friends shocked to see her capable of spouting mass walls of serious information, but her reaction at his ability.

"Is that…rare?" Shana prodded.

Meru just nodded. "Gravity manipulation…falls under the Void element, the unclassified seventh element. It's one of the most _dangerous _mages to fight. And it's the _rarest_ kind. But even then…nobody thought of _combining _it with anything. They all figured that they could control gravity, they were already Gods. Zero…what can you do with it? With that fusion?"

"Earth, Water, Sand, probably magma or something…and ice."

"Ice?"

"It was an idea I had. Invert the energy around water in a way that you drain the heat from the air around it, then hold the air there until it cools the water into ice. It…takes a bit of preparation, but I've gotten it down to a few seconds."

"Goddess…" Meru was breathless. She'd given up on her Wingly heritage for a long while, before meeting Dart and the others. But now, she met another who was rejected by her kind…and he became an incredible force.

"Can you…teach me?"

The others blinked at her request.

"I've…I've ignored my heritage…for so long now. I hated them…hated myself for being one of them. Because they were so blind…they just hated humans for no reason. I can barely fly for five minutes without feeling drained. Hell I could barely airlift Dart last year. I have to rely on my Dragon Spirit to block or cast any magic…I can barely even channel energy…"

She suddenly looked at Shana, who blinked in confusion.

"I was scared…when I saw Shana's Spirit leave her and choose someone else. I was afraid that would happen to me…and I'd be powerless again. I was already upset that I had to kill one of my own kind just to get mine…but…seeing what you can do…seeing your wings…and your life…I want to learn. I want to be…I want to be the next generation of Wingly. The kind who _doesn't _hate just because someone is different from them. I want to learn what it is that I'm missing…what it is I lost."

"…I'm not much of a teacher. I don't even really know what I can do now, that I have a glyph."

"Anything! I'll take anything you can give. I…I know my parents…are alright with me now but…I want to make them proud. I want to show them, all of them, what they're missing by limiting themselves. I want to show them what can be done when you don't have a heart full of hate of those different than you."

"nice specifics." He said. "It'll have to wait until I'm done with my own task."

"I'll come with you!" She said immediately. He blinked.

"Eager much?" He mused. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a Dragon Knight with us. You don't have any prior engagements?"

"None. They've learned that I'll come and go as I please, and if they don't like it I don't care."

"Fine. The girls and I will help you learn a bit on our way."

She smiled. "Thank you!"

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, it's jumpy. it's meant to be that way. i'm skipping over moments where absolutely nothing except walking or flight takes place. Travel will be uneventful unless specified, for a good while. Unlike in games where there are 'random encounters' in this story, both Shana and Zero himself can ward off creatures thinking them easy prey with nary a thought. I always did wonder about that. you'd think that holding the Dragon's Spirit, or being the Moon Child would come with a type of energy field detectable by natural creatures. stronger ones like say, giant creatures, or maybe younger dragons or the sort would attack, but you'd think weaker, random things would not strike. Unless it's the opposite and the reason they attack is **because **of that clause...hmm.

here we see my take on how and why winglies could cast their spells, and why humans couldnt without the aid of objects. i imagine these objects are refined somehow, containing a stock rune or glyph that then activates upon use. Kinda like how the Psych Bomb/X was made. Huh...i forgot about that until just now...hmm...i'll have to add that somewhere...

**D&S Master:** Tis indeed a fair bit confusing. it's hard to illustrate without potentially ruining the immersion, what group it's focusing on. just think of those line breaks as scene changes and you might have an easier time of it. The premise is a fair bit more mature than most of my other stories, but do keep in mind, everything in this section is only **part one**. the second part will have far more action, and a definable enemy. also more people. Yes, the dragoons take a bit of a backseat, but honestly, i believe that they've earned a bit of a rest. You might notice something off in the next chapter or two, but trust me when i say everything that happens is based upon **perception**. do continue reading however. this two parter will make alot more sense than any of my other LoD fics, which i'm going to take down.

**Breezybiach: **Indeed. I cannot fault your opinion, however i must contest the usage of the word 'distasteful'. that would imply that any added characters to a plotline concerning the main ones in any work would then immediately detract from the story's integrity, regardless of whether or not they have mere minor roles to simply be 'faceless goons'. that therefore reduces the amount of people that can be 'seen' in that world to the ones that are known or at least referenced, thus making it near impossible to create a plotline that follows one that seems to have been so closed as the one in LoD. You may wish to double check your statements as well, because it can easily be inferred that any changes to the original cast in any way would then ruin their concepts, thus immediately ruining the story. Which means that they cannot grow in any way, be it as personalities or in strength. If it was not your intent to say such, again you may wish to amend your choice in words. i thank you for the wish of luck though. this first half is entirely done and is only waiting to be posted. the second still remains to be written.


	5. Callisto

As they traveled, Zero thought back to Denningrad. His thoughts returned to the night before they left for his village.

"I have a question." Albert spoke to the still bedded Zero.

"You know things…things that we have not told anyone. You knew who Shana was, you knew who We were, yet I know I've never seen you or anyone who resembled you in our travels." He began. Zero held up a hand.

"Your question is: 'how do I know these things.' The answer is, Premonition."

"Foresight? You are capable of it?"

"To an extent. It…happened suddenly. Every now and then my dreams would be filled with events from your journey. After a little bit I started realizing they were actual visions of what was occurring. Actually for a while I kept trying to meet up with you. I wanted validation in my life, and I thought that perhaps helping a group traveling the world trying to track a rogue and powerful Wingly would help.

I saw many things, the theft of Dart's Red-Eye spirit, the death of Lavitz, the battle against the Divine Dragon…I saw it all. And whenever I would see it, I would rush to that location, only to find that either it was far too soon for you to have arrived, or that you had already long since left to destinations unknown. After a few months of failing, I gave up, because I came to a realization.

My visions were disjointed, disconnected. They were random, not in any specific order or reason. After missing you repeatedly I realized that I would have no idea if what I saw was something to come, or that had already passed. So I left it up to Fate. If I was meant to help you during your journey, I would, if not, I wouldn't. But for the time being, I would be the observer who saw the truth.

Eventually I saw your battle against Melbu Frahama's attempt at becoming a god, and realized that was the end of your journey. So I waited. I saw your victory, and knew there was no need for me to get involved, when the Moon That Never Sets, finally fell, though I kept myself ready to act should something happen." He explained.

"So why didn't you simply await us in a town?" Albert pressed.

"Like I said, I realized I had no way of telling what had been yet to come, and what had already passed. Due to the random nature of the visions, one night I would see you in Gloriano, another, you would be in Tiberoa. I didn't know if you could teleport, or if you could fly and cover great distances in short times, and these uncertainties kept me from simply picking a city and sticking with it.

What would be the point, were it to have already passed and you not to be to return? Why wait in one location for months, only to find that you weren't going to come for half a year? I never saw myself in your journey, thus, that helped solidify that I was simply meant to _know_."

* * *

Evening fell. The twilight of the between area of Day and Night enveloped the sky.

But they'd made it. Zero blinked, surprised. The village was in shambles, most of it submerged under water. The surrounding lake that had once provided secret home to this faction of people, had overcome them.

He wanted to know how it happened. Not out of care, but sheer wonder. _Perhaps…_ He mused. _It was part of the reaction to the Moon falling. Something that big…I'm surprised at how little damage occurred. But, considering it was about the size of a city, and not half a planet, I shouldn't be __**that **__surprised._

"Master…I'm…sorry?" Callisto wasn't sure what to say.

Zero shook his head.

"No Callisto. There's no need. This…was earned. Nobody I cared for remained, and the one person who cared for me, even if in secret, managed to survive until Denningrad. No…I have nothing but bad memories here, so seeing it waterlogged like this is actually an improvement."

He nodded to himself.

"It's proof that even Winglies are not immune to the tides of time."

* * *

The sound of soft hooting lulled them to sleep. However one stirred, unable to rest. The remaining moon shone brightly in the night sky, its reflection shimmering off the water. A soft splash.

She let out a shuddering breath at the cold. Though it had been weeks, she could still see objects pertaining to the villages old occupants. Toys, sodden books, small balls floated in the distance. The broken pieces of furniture, articles of clothing…all showing the existence of sentient life at one point.

Saddened eyes gazed over the landscape, water dripping from her hair, down her arms and back into the collective. Her waist was submerged underneath, she could feel the gentle currents tugging at the cloth of her skirt, but ignored it all.

Nothing mattered. Not for a person like her.

"Trying to freeze yourself won't help."

She twitched, so wrapped in her thoughts, lost in her own personal hell that she didn't notice his arrival. She said nothing, only moved, gently lowering her arms from their bound position around her chest to the water's edge. As she did, she recalled his words from before.

"It never goes away…"

He nodded, unseen. "It fades…I suppose. But it never truly dies. Not unless you can overwrite it, but even then, it's still there in the back of your mind."

"Why…?"

"…I don't know. I wish I did."

The droplets falling from her hair cascaded down her face, mixing with her tears. She stared at the ripples made by her form in the water.

"No matter how hard I try, the dirty feeling doesn't go away. I've done everything I could, even as far as stabbing my own arm, trying to flush it out. If I spend enough time by myself, I can't keep anything down. Why…? Why does it hurt so much?"

Though she spoke softly, her words held a power hidden deep within.

"I scrub and scrub and it doesn't fade! I can still feel every touch, every finger every tongue, and it makes me sick! I didn't want it, I didn't want any of it, so why…why do I feel so unclean? I have my sister, I have my clan, I have _peace_, so why…?"

That's why she came out here. Because seeing all this reminded her of herself. Broken, crumbled ruins. A shell of a once radiant existence. None of them knew what happened to this village, only that for some reason it began to collapse suddenly. The lake waters raging to take it back into itself.

"I just want it to go away. That's all. I thought it did…during the ceremony. I thought I was free. But then…but then it came back. It came back and I don't know how to get rid of it. I should be happy, I should be smiling…but I'm not. There's all these things I **should **be doing, but I _can't_. I just don't feel it…all I feel is…"

"Pain."

Her head rose. This was why she could speak with him. Though still she felt horrid for loosing her feelings in the open, she knew…she _knew _he felt the same.

"What's the point of living if all I feel is pain? Why continue to exist if I can never feel like myself again?"

"…I don't know. I still don't know. All I have are distractions. Whether they're lies, or if they're just other truths to help weaken this one, I don't know."

"How…how do you live with yourself?" She turned around, beholding Zero, who was at the water's edge, staring just as blankly as she was before.

"How do you keep living, feeling so **dirty**, so fundamentally broken? What makes you keep going?"

"I can't say I know. I don't think I ever knew. Just…after I failed to die, I gave up. My village rejected me, **death **rejected me…so I just wandered. I just focused on one desire, the desire to understand. I just lived, day to day, trying to understand why I was hated by even something usually indiscriminate like death."

"Have you found an answer yet?"

"I don't know. If I have, what would it look like? Trying to die and failing just made it worse. But after a while I realized, even if I did succeed, would that have truly made it better? Could I call it a victory, could it be called a success if I wasn't around to experience it? Could I really consider myself free, if I felt nothing at all?"

"I thought dying would get rid of the unclean feeling. But…if that's all it does, then there's no point is there? I want to _feel _clean again…not just lose the dirty. I guess I can't do that if I'm dead…huh? But…but then what do I do? What do I do to get rid of it?"

"I wish I knew. If only so I could help you out. I don't like it…but this feeling…its part of what keeps me going. I sometimes wonder what life would be like without this…tainted existence. And I ask myself, is it truly worth living, when because of it, I am who I am today? Without it, would I be the same person?"

During their conversation, he slowly made his way into the water. Ignoring the cold, ignoring the slight breeze making a chill run up his spine, he waded his way next to her, staring into the distance. She watched his form slowly pass hers, she still looking back where he once was, while he was faced towards the ruins of his old village.

"I…I want to feel clean. I want to feel like **me **again. Not the girl who became a toy for the sake of her sister. I want to feel Callisto again."

Her heart was pounding. Something was brewing inside her, and she felt every scrap of emotion that was building inside her consciousness.

"Even I haven't validated my own existence yet. But I wonder…do I need to? So many questions with too few answers…"

"How…how would I do that? How can I be _me _again?"

"Some would say by choosing to do something."

"Choice…I am a person because of choice. I _chose _to become that tool…but I don't choose to remain it. I choose to be a person, to be **me **again. But…can I be myself if I don't feel it? Does it matter? Am I any less a person if I try to be one without feeling like one?"

"The world doesn't know my pain…and I wonder, is that such a bad thing? Chaos, anarchy already exists in a sense without it. If the world were to know this pain…this uncertainty, would it still be able to grow? Maybe this is the curse of being what I am…"

The two were wrapped in entirely different thoughts. While he was thinking outside himself, she was thinking within. However, both shared one thought.

"**Who am I?"**

The two froze, as they realized they asked the same question. However, only one had an answer they liked.

* * *

_I…don't know. I just don't know. All I have is titles…power…but do I really have a self?_

_I…am Callisto. Daughter of Artemis. Sister of Pandora. Bonded to Zero. Queen of the Western Clan. I was a tool, used by humans for their own physical gratification. I was tainted, dirty…made unclean by their touch. I still feel their hands, their sweat, their semen all over me, even inside me. But…I get it now. I'll never get rid of this unclean feeling. But maybe I don't have to._

_Maybe, I just have to feel clean enough…feel like __**myself **__enough…to counter it._

Her eyes began to clear as she came to this realization. The sadness didn't fade, the dirty feeling didn't fade, but within, added to the growing flame, came a powerful desire.

She slowly turned around, staring at Zero's back. She slipped her hand in his, startling him. As he turned to face her, she gently glided to his front, sliding her hand up his chest and onto his shoulder. He blinked at her, eyes flickering between blank, and confused.

"What-

"I know what I want now…" She said softly.

_She's…beautiful._

The moonlight glistened off her still slightly damp sky-blue locks. Ocean blue eyes glittering in the reflection of the lit water's surface.

"I want to feel…love. I want to feel like myself again…and to do that, I need to feel love again."

"I…but-

"You've done so much for us. So much…for me. Whether you meant to or not, you've been there for me when I needed you, you let me grow as I needed…you are my foundation."

"Callisto…"

Her hand began to slowly slide down.

"I want to love…and be loved. And I want to be loved by _you_."

"I don't…I can't validate you like that."

"You can. Because it's what **I **want. I want you, and I have you, right here in front of me. I want love…I want _your _love. I want your _life_. I kept going about things all wrong. I kept thinking of what I _needed_. But sometimes, what you need, and what you want, aren't the same…and yet, by getting what you **want**, you end up getting what you need."

"I can't use you like that Cali."

"You won't be. I'm not a tool anymore. I'm a person now. I'm **me **now. And what **I **want, is you." Her hand dropped to the waistline of his trousers.

He was completely lost. Nothing made sense in his head.

"And I want you, to give me what _they _couldn't. For them, I was a tool, a toy, a plaything. For you…I want to be _myself_."

The black haired half-Wingly tried to step back. His mind was reeling, going a mile a minute. Callisto just matched his movements, left hand never letting go of his right, her right hand still snagged firmly on the edge of his pants. She knew what she wanted, she knew how that tied into what she needed, and she knew _he _could give it to her, even if he didn't realize it.

"I don't know-

She silenced him with her lips, her fingers deftly flicking off the belt he wore, as his eyes widened in surprise. She was actually going to push it. Were it any other occasion, he'd have thrown her off him. But his own internal despair combined with his abject confusion locked his motor-functions down. There was no foul play through her innate abilities, and even should she have tried, they'd informed him that their bond protects him from _all _subversions of mentality wielded by their kind. The only thing that would force him to stray, would be his own heart, but by then, the bond will have deteriorated.

She was in control, and she knew _exactly _what she wanted to have happen. She pulled away and spoke gently.

"You don't need to. _I _know what to do. Just relax." She grabbed him, feeling his whole body tense. She felt him about to speak, and slammed her lips on his again.

A sensation of vertigo hit both of them, Zero tripping over a sunken chest. Callisto smirked and went with Fate's actions, quickly climbing on top of him while he was disoriented from landing on it suddenly. She cut his words before they began once again.

Unseen by either, the water began to ripple around the two. Not from their movements, but from an unfelt tension building around them. As she guided him into herself, his eyes widening with shock as his mind was suddenly filled with two completely different sensations, the water around them practically exploded upwards.

As she slid down upon him, gasping softly at the near-sudden feeling of having an object placed within her, the mental connection created from the twins bonding to him flared open. She felt everything he did, and the same in reverse for him. For that moment, as her hips met his, the two became of one mind.

In that instant they felt everything the other had ever felt in their lives, tears sliding down both faces, Callisto gripped his shoulders as she bounced once again. The unfelt pressure around them rippled, the water rising and curling, folding in on itself as if creating a cocoon around them.

When they would look back on that moment, the moment that they gave themselves to the other, they would realize that the water was reacting in the way their minds were. Rather than being a buffer, it became their shield, representing their new, enhanced unison.

For the moment however, all they knew was the other.

"I want this. I've finally realized that." She spoke, bouncing in a soft steady rhythm.

"I was taken by you the moment I felt you telling the truth of being there to save us. It only grew as time passed. When you were hurting, I was hurting, not just because of my own pain, not because of the bond, but because _you _were hurting."

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she tensed, focusing on everything she felt for him at every moment since then. The blank, empty feeling of being about to be used, the surprise when he turned it down. Hope, when he made his claim, fear, when they were surrounded. Sadness, that she had to practically violate mind and body for their survival, anger towards those who had wronged him for just existing.

Pain, when he blankly described the abject hatred in the world, triumph, when he was holding her hand and tearing Adina to shreds. Disgust when recalling what she did to save her own life, fear at disappointing him…

And finally Love. Love for everything he was to her.

As a feeling unfamiliar to him erupted into his heart and mind, he reflexively gripped her waist, arms moving on their own in tune to the beat she was following in her mind. The tenseness in her shoulders faded, as the frown of concentration was replaced by a smile of bliss.

_Finally he's getting into it._

She was still completely in control of the situation, her will dictating his, but he was beginning to respond in a favorable way. She kissed him again, pushing more of her emotions to him.

_Separate, we may feel lifeless…pointless. But together…maybe we can be ourselves again._

A sudden unexpected thought raced through her mind, and she giggled. The sound surprised him, causing his eyes to snap open, breaking the trance he was in. She just smiled, never letting up. She just pushed her lips back onto his, as she rode him into the night.

_Pandora's going to be __**pissed **__that I took him first._

* * *

The next morning Zero had dived down once again to try to find the hidden shrine. Daylight vanished too quickly the previous time he did, and this time he was filled with confidence.

Last night's 'activities' ended up with he having far more focus and desire than ever before. Finding someone loves you, can do that.

Meru was hovering over the water. While she couldn't sit cross-legged like Zero had, she was floating with the bare tips of her toes touching it, a gentle look of calm on her face. Her eyes were closed, as she focused on once again trying the meditation exercise that Zero had suggested she do, to better get a feel for the flows of the world around her.

It was less difficult than the day before, for she was able to slightly pick up on the currents of the water.

While she did that, Callisto and Pandora had a small talk.

"I can't believe you took him, sister."

Callisto had a gentle smirk on her face.

"Why's that?"

"I honestly would have thought it would take you longer to want to have anything to do with sexual relations again." Her sister conceded.

"So did I." Callisto admitted. "But while we were talking…while both of us had our hearts laid bare to the world around us…I learned something. I'd been focusing so much on everything I felt I _should _be. I kept feeling like I _should _be happy, I _shouldn't _feel dirty, I _shouldn't _feel guilty…"

She gazed off into the distance, eyes catching Meru hovering, a frown on the other girl's face as she began to sweat.

"Even if it was what I wanted…I was too focused on what I _should _feel, and think, and that just made everything worse. Something he said, made me realize what triggered it. We are beings of **choice**, sister. I **chose **to become their tool for your sake. I **chose** to feel them all within me, to have their hands touching my body, invading my most sensitive places. And whether I realized it or not, I was choosing to circulate that hatred, that disgust of that person."

Pandora just stared at her twin. She had been keeping Arianna's warnings in mind, but true to what she herself said, once again, their bond-mate stepped in without even knowing he was.

"And once I understood that, the lesson that I had made those choices of my own will, I came to a greater understanding. I knew there was no _need _to feel guilty, or dirty, or broken. But I still felt it. So I asked myself, what if rather than not needing, I had to _want _to not feel that way? I knew what I needed, I knew what I should have been, but I didn't know what I truly _wanted_."

Pandora was confused, it all sounded the same to her. What she believed she needed to feel, was what she wanted to feel…but it wasn't working?

"I realized that while knowing what you need consciously does one thing, actually _wanting _it does another. If you aren't _focused_ on that desire for it, it won't come, because you aren't actively chasing it. So I realized what I truly wanted, wasn't to get rid of those feelings, because there was nothing wrong with feeling that way. I wanted feelings that were opposite to those, so I wouldn't have to _only _feel that way."

Pandora nodded. _Now _it made sense. Her belief of need wasn't matching her desire, though they were worded the same. Her believed need, was to get rid of the feelings she rightly felt. So to counter that need that was merely weakening her, she created a desire, not to rid herself of those feelings, but to start feeling the opposite.

"I don't think I'll ever stop feeling dirty…or tainted. But…I don't think I'm _supposed _to. I understand, I have to accept what I feel, in any situation, or else I'm just causing problems with myself. I think…that…is what keeps our dear Zero sane. He accepts his feelings, his thoughts and emotions, and if he doesn't like them, merely focuses on finding reason to feel the opposite."

Pandora's eyes widened. That was a truly astounding concept. Most would reject that which they do not desire or tolerate. She frowned slightly. If one could accept something one did not like…yet still strive to change it…would it not be easier to do so? Could _that _be the true key to his hatred?

"So where does the part where you bounced on him like a horse's rider come into play?" Pandora asked her sister coyly. To her surprise, Callisto's smirk just widened.

"It comes into play when I realized that I wanted to feel loved, loved in the way _they _and even you couldn't, sister. I realized that he's done so much for us…for me, just by coming to exist in our space. And I realized I loved him, and I wanted to feel the same from him. No…"

She trailed off, face pensive.

"No…that's not it. I wanted _him_. Just him. Anything he gave me was merely a bonus. I wanted _him,_ then. I wanted him, and I wanted him to feel what I felt for him. I wanted to be understood, in that moment. And I got all of those things. I wanted to feel _him_ inside me. I wanted to feel _his _hands on my body. And now…now that I look back, I realize I also wanted to replace the memory of _them_ doing those things, with _him_.

I wanted to replace the feelings of those who touched me for their sakes, with one who would touch me for mine. I didn't want _them_, I wanted to keep _you _pure, even at the cost of myself. But at that moment, I wanted _him_."

"A physical desire, connected to an emotional one. How deliciously novel. And you got what you wished for?"

"And then some. You felt it didn't you? That's how you knew. While it was focused between he and I, your connection to him widened, didn't it?"

Pandora nodded. "Indeed. It woke me, and I saw a big ball of water floating over the lake. I was worried at first, but when I felt your…immense pleasure, I simply decided to ride it out myself."

The smirk returned to Callisto's face. "Enjoyed the fruits of my labor?"

"Well I wasn't about to let such a prime opportunity for a free recharge go to waste now was I? Mother taught us better than that."

"Suuuure. You just wanted in on the action."

"Perhaps. I honestly thought it would be I making the first move on our beloved. But thinking about it, you two were always a tad closer than he and I, so it makes sense."

"Ugh!" Callisto growled out. "You're no fun at all!"

"Hoping I'd be jealous, sister?"

"Yes! Goddess how am I supposed to feel pointlessly superior when you have no reaction in the slightest? Logic, logic, logic, it is with you. Maybe I should see if I can get him to bang some of that out of you." Callisto mused.

This time, Pandora smirked coyly.

"Wouldn't that just make me _worse_? His logic is twisted sometimes, but it's also much more focused than my own."

"Rrgh, you're right." Callisto growled. "Damn, honorable man kept trying to keep me away from it but I knew what I wanted. And a man like him…with his power, his skill, he could have any woman clinging to his arm. He could take any woman to his bed, and they'd let him ravish them silly. Yet he _hasn't_. That's not normal, for a man of his power and skill. And that's what made me want him _more_."

Pandora nodded. "Indeed. I expected him to at least use the services of our clan while he was with us."

"He said he didn't know what he was doing…or rather he implied it." Callisto muttered.

"You were his _first_? Under _those _conditions?" Pandora gasped, eyes wide.

"I…guess so? It's not like he just laid there though…a bit through I think he started to enjoy it himself, though I guess at some point I'll have to explain to him what was going on in my head…"

"There's no need for that. I already know."

The two whirled around to see a slightly wet Zero, a completely drenched Meru leaning on his shoulder, looking tired. In his right hand, was a blood red cross-tipped staff, ring around the cross.

The cross itself seemed pointlessly gigantic, before Zero deftly flicked the staff upwards, shaft pointing out, before gripping it by the cross.

"That is…"

"The Sealed Weapon, Izanami. Created to combat the Moon Child specifically, with a certain desire, one can draw the conceptual essence of existence out from a living being. Not many have ever wielded this weapon, and those who did went mad, before it deemed them unworthy and banished their souls from their bodies."

"Apparently," Meru began, "this was the _real _reason why Mayfil was created. The Izanami's power would have caused the world to be overridden with unbounded souls, so our people made that…reverse factory, to force them back into the planet. After it was sealed, Mayfil just…remained I guess."

"Was it difficult to find?" Pandora asked, previous conversation placed aside.

"Somewhat. I had to move a few broken husks of buildings out of the way. She seemed…Irritated when I grasped her again."

"_She?_" Callisto spoke.

"Izanami is semi-sentient. The banishing of such a delicate concept like souls, tends to change the objects used to do so. All of her chosen wielders she banished herself, after they grew too tainted for her, too detached from the qualities she connected with them for. She was irritated that I was disconnected from her, because I seem to be her favorite of the lot."

"Is she…still angry now?" Pandora asked cautiously.

"She was a bit peeved that I had bonded to two others while we were apart. It seems she gets territorial. But after I re-connected with her, she calmed down. It seems she at least tolerates you. Like I said _semi-_sentient. Before she was sealed, my people put a block on her to stop her from reaching full sentience. Part of me doesn't like it, but both she and I see the reasoning behind it."

Pandora nodded. "Chaos would erupt. On top of which, she could be corrupted by her own existence and the new emotions coming from full sentience. And with her power, she would be nigh unstoppable."

"She's sentient enough to react when I need her, even if I don't realize it. She can give warnings of danger and skilled opponents, and should I desire it, she can create a modified Reality Marble to force spectral beings into tangibility so they may be destroyed."

Pandora's eyes widened and she took a step back. "C-Conceptual Weapon!" She cried out.

Callisto blinked, and then gasped as well. "Sister are you sure?"

"There can be no doubt!"

Zero blinked. "Dora…elaborate please?"

Flushing slightly at the nickname, both from embarrassment of the familiarity as well as pleasure that he cared enough to give it to her, she explained.

"Conceptual Weapons are legendary. The history of their formation is unknown, but they were rumored to be created over the years by sentient beings to be the ultimate in attack and defense. As their name implies, they have to do with certain concepts. Some could affect the physical form without touching it, others the mind or emotions, and yours apparently affects the soul in all aspects.

Conceptual Weapons are generally semi-sentient, much like your Izanami. They choose their wielders for whatever reason they have, and leave them just the same. It's written that after a while, people stopped trying to seek them out, because they were classified untrustworthy. What use is a sword if it can decide simply to turn its blade upon its wielder? But…from what I remember, as long as the wielder stays true to the pact, they will come whenever summoned…"

"Yeah, Izanami said that she couldn't return to me after my magic replenished itself because I was 'laced with the essence of others.' To her, I wasn't me, I was someone that felt _similar _to me, but I wasn't me. We think it was because whenever I'm drained, I draw from the energy around me to recharge myself, and since most of my recovery was done around your clan…"

"Your power was altered by the type of energy you drew in, as well as because of your connection to us." Callisto finished.

Zero nodded, and banished his weapon.

"Where does it go when you don't have it?" Pandora asked.

"My soul. We've re-forged the pact, since I'm different than I was when I first made it. Before, she used to return to her pedestal, but now that I'm old enough to understand entirely what's going on, she's bound to my soul. She said it's much easier that way, plus it prevents what happened at Vellweb from happening again."

Pandora nodded.

"She was the first being to ever accept my existence…so when I couldn't summon her it felt like a part of me was missing. Now…I feel more complete." He admitted.

Meru and Pandora nodded solemnly. Callisto just stepped up to him, threw her arms around his neck and brought their lips together.

_Now _Pandora was getting a bit jealous. Something that she let her sister feel through her bond, which made the girl giggle slightly.

"I'm happy for you, Master."

* * *

Something was wrong. Her chest felt tight. Breathing was difficult.

This shouldn't be. It didn't make sense. Only one thing could be the reason behind it.

Something was wrong with her world. She would go and find out what was corrupting it, and erase it herself.

* * *

Zero, Meru and the Twins had gone back to the enclave. They spent a week there, Zero teaching all who would listen his special brand of casting magic. Meru was taking to it like a sponge, as were the Twins. The other succubi were interested to see how a Wingly, and even more-so, a Wingly-human cast their spells. His methods rung logical in the minds of the younger girls, as they were built upon steps, things that would make sense to a younger, less focused mind.

Slowly his prowess with the magical arts, his ability to listen to others and answer their questions without hesitation, admitting his faults and lack of knowledge wherever it appeared, began to win over the hearts of the Clan. Some still held ill will towards him, for ripping Adina from them, but his very existence of not giving a crap if they liked him or not intrigued them. Rather than kissing up to them to make up for it, he was just himself. It helped that his presence kept the twins happy. And as long as their Queens were happy, the rest of the clan could follow suit. The other women in the clan would giggle when Callisto would snuggle up to him while he was making an explanation, or how Pandora would quietly slip her hand in his while she was reading a book.

They took well to Meru as well, seeing the girl not as a Wingly, but another succubus, just another part of the clan. It helped that she wasn't haughty, or even gave off the feeling of being "better" than anyone. She was down-to-earth, very kind and sociable. She took well to the seductive dances of the succubi, and the others learned quickly the bouncing up-beat movements the younger girl could make.

However at the beginning of the next week, Meru's Dragon Spirit erupted into light.

It was understood by her that something **big **had just appeared in the world, something extremely powerful, and it was putting the Blue Sea Dragon's soul into turmoil. She decided to go find out what it was, for if her spirit was reacting, surely the others were as well. Zero chose to accompany her, much to the displeasure of the Clan.

"If it's something strong enough to trouble a **dragon **of all beings, my special brand of skills might be helpful. Besides, I always wondered what it would be like to fight alongside a Dragoon."

The twins wanted to come along as well, but Zero gently refuted them. They had an obligation to the clan first, and while staying around him made them happy, he wasn't about to deprive the clan of their Queens any longer than he had to. They fought but he held strong. They relented, but only because they knew he wouldn't bend. They didn't _want _to be Queens really, they _wanted _to be with him…but they had their job to do. They held onto the knowledge he would return. He was Zero, of course he would.

Zero and Meru took off, Meru clad in Dragon Armor, Zero's wings spread wide. They headed out towards the direction that the pulse came from, where the Moon that Never Sets, finally fell.

To the heavens, they could see a shimmering light beginning to descend.

* * *

The group had gathered. The light they all saw in the sky had landed in the center of the crater where the Divine Tree once stood. They all stood ready for anything.

The shimmering light slowly faded, dust beginning to calm and disperse. From the small crater made from the object's landing, a human form was seen.

Long flowing red hair, beautiful milk colored skin. Eyes like that of a deep forest. Clad in almost glowing crimson robes of a material never seen before. She truly fit the form of a Goddess. Soa spoke softly, stating that she felt an unusual corruption upon the world, one that was eating away at the very planet. She spoke interest in finding it, but when her eyes beheld Zero, she gasped, and then glared.

"Snatcher!"

"Wha?"

"Vile demon, possessing a body just to further your own goals!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your existence perverts this planet I created with my own two hands! It will do so no longer!"

"I didn't do ANYTHING!"

"Be gone parasite! I cast your corruption from my world!"

His sight distorted, the concept of color inverting for his perceptions for a moment. His body lifted from the ground, slamming against the rock wall of the crater. Tendrils of erasure had grasped his form, he could feel their essence chipping at his body, ripping at his very soul. He had done nothing but live…and now he was being killed by his own creator.

_When I wanted to die…_ he struggled to think through his pain. _She rejected me. Death refused to claim me. But now that I desire to live, they come and seek my life? No! I will not meet my end here! This will not be my grave! I refuse to be taken by a traitor to her own people!_

His eyes flared silver, and Zero loosed a powerful cry of rage. The sparking tendrils of power ripping from Soa's fingertips began to curl around his body, heavy haze of distorted air settling in around him, which erupted into a small dome. Soa's eyes widened as she felt the pressuring force being emitted from his body. They narrowed as she forced more power into her attack, seeking to overwhelm his defense.

But she knew not the nature of his power, that which he was tapping into. This lack of information, this missing knowledge would turn the tables upon her.

Her eyes widened again as the dome increased in size, air becoming so dense that the waning light of the sun began to have difficulty illuminating his form. Along with this, she noted the ground being slowly compressed, shredded beneath his feet. Whatever this defense was, it was _destroying _the area around him. With a mighty **snap**, she felt the tendrils of power collapse above his protections. She gasped in surprise as the red waves _shattered_ before he flung out a hand. Jumping away, she felt the pressure overcome her body a brief moment before she moved. The air buckled as her eyes picked up a small black point where she once stood.

That black dot seemed to explode outwards, expanding into a pure black sphere. The sphere faded, and with it vanished a large portion of the ground where Soa was once standing. She threw her head back, not having time to ponder the destruction, as Zero had appeared before her in a ripple of air, fist flying at her face. He whirled with his missed swing, lashing out with his foot. Soa dropped her weight backward, out of his kicking range, but buckled forward nonetheless. She spat out a mouthful of air in surprise, it felt like she just got smashed in the stomach with half a building!

He lashed out with left hand. She pulled back, evading his unusual cupped swing, only to screech in pain. Three long gashes appeared across her left cheek, each one spraying blood through the air. Though his physical swing missed, somehow he'd managed still to _slash _her face almost in triple. Such control should have been beyond him! A demon from another world shouldn't be able to command her world's powers like this!

She thrust her arms forward, seeking to blow him away to gain some space. But he simply flung his own arm out as if smacking something aside. A flicker of distorted light gave her notice that he'd _defended against _her pressure wave.

_No wonder the corruption is so deep! He's almost strong enough to match me somehow! What horrible travesty has this demon performed to reach godlike power? I must flee, and recover. And when I return, I will be prepared to erase this demon._

Seeing an unusual glow around her, Zero fell back, distorted air muddling him from view. Soa shot one final glare at him and then rocketed upward, where she vanished in a torrent of light. Zero waited, tense, but he felt nothing. His field was able to cancel out her influence in the world directly around his body, so none of his senses could be overcome by trickery. She was gone. He slowly descended to the ground, pensive.

_She called me a demon. Said I was the reason this world was corrupted. But…how? I didn't __**do **__anything! All I did was live…maybe…maybe that's what I did wrong._

He could feel the old thoughts trying to come back. _Maybe it is…maybe I am the reason this world is being corrupted…but so what? I didn't choose this. I don't…ok maybe I __**do **__somewhat desire the end of this world but it's kept in check! At least I think it is. No…what I desire is to just simply be._

He shook his head. He didn't notice the others making their way to him, Shana leading.

_But…she fled. I don't doubt she'll be back. She's after me though…for whatever reason. She won't stop until I'm dead. I…I can't risk them. I can't risk them dying against her. The only thing that seemed to hold her off was my gravity fields. But that might have been because she wasn't expecting them. I have to prepare…and I can't get them involved._

He stood up, wings beginning to flutter.

_I'm sorry…Callisto…Pandora. But I have to leave you._

_Until she's gone…or stops coming after me…I can't be around you. I've been betrayed by my own creator…but I won't let you get hurt because of me._

As Shana reached out to him, to try somehow to comfort him, tell him she didn't believe a thing Soa said, his head snapped up, and he vanished with a loud rip.


	6. Betrayal of the End

"What?"

Upon returning to the godly plane, Soa was immediately ripped to stand before a mighty beast. Seven eyes stared at the goddess, as the form of a giant ten winged dragon stood over her.

"**I said you have made a grave error."**

"What error would that be Lady Tiamat?"

"**You encountered an unusual soul upon your world, did you not?"**

"Yes I-

"**The body it held. Brown skin, white-silver hair, and six wings, correct?"**

"Y-yes." She was confused. Tiamat knew of the corruption?

"**That…was placed there by **_**me.**_**"**

"What? Why would you wish to corrupt my world?"

"**Corrupt? No Soa. If corruption came it came from another, and if it came from he, it came because he was to draw it out. That soul felt alien to you because it was a fusion of one of yours, with one of mine. I placed that hybrid soul there to fulfill the destiny of the original owner, whom had died prematurely. He remembers nothing except for his life on your world. I did you a favor, and you went and blew it up!"**

"Wait…so…he's _not _the source of the corruption?"

"**No. He is the **_**cure**_**. Though with your actions, I doubt how willing he will be to remain as such. You did not even bother to behold his life, just went straight to judgment. His spirit was already damaged enough."**

"I _have _made a mistake then…"

"**Indeed. I suggest you run and act to fix it. Lest your world be rent asunder, either by the corruption you felt, or by His hands."**

**

* * *

**

A brilliant shine overtook the crisp night sky. A shaft of light descended from the heavens as a celestial being emerged from her home. Soa touched ground once again on Endiness, her world created by her own two hands. She opened her eyes, witnessing the beauty within the desolate land of the barren wastes of the once home of the Divine Tree. She sighed, before settling into her resolve. She needed to find the boy, to apologize to him.

One foot was placed forward, and immediately she felt something was wrong. An impossible feat occurred. A pressure like no other, not even comparable to the rage of the Chaos Goddess. Her body was enveloped in it, a magical seal appearing beneath her feet. She looked down as hundreds of glowing red chains ripped out of the array. As they did so, her mind was filled with unintelligible gibberish, at least to her. The chains wrapped around her arms and legs, three spiraling around her neck like a collar, two binding around her waist.

"_**Loneliness, fear, misfortune, corruption, rage, despair."**_

The entire array flared an angry red, as Soa's struggling body was pulled to the ground. Her ears were filled with chanting, her mind consumed by song. Words of a language she could not decipher ripped through her heart as she was dropped face-first into the heart of the seal.

"_**Curse, curse, despair! Curse, curse!"**_

She felt a strangely familiar force ripping at her mind and body. She could feel the very fragments of her energies, her Godly power being slowly chipped away. The surprise of the attack slowed her reactions, but soon she began to fight it. The chains strained, but held, sparks of magical discharge racing along both glyph and God.

"_**In this immense rage I will restrain the laments and resonate with them!"**_

The chanting continued, becoming even louder within her mind. She felt something within her spark. She could now recognize what this force was.

It was Endiness itself.

"_**Oh beautiful swords! Because of you I drown in laments! Oh hatred!"**_

The second surprise weakened her resolve. Her fears were proven, the planet had become corrupted by something. And now, it was attacking her. Draining her of her power. The seal pulsed angrily, as lines of runes and markings began to fill in its circles. She could do nothing as she was drained, the second shock of the past minute causing her to give just enough ground to be irreversible.

"_**Lacking patience I give myself to the darkness and put and end to your mind…"**_

A second seal appeared above Soa, not that she noticed it. This one siphoned off the remaining bits of loose energy, before a sword of red light formed from it, slamming into the Goddess' back. She gasped, before pain beyond pain ripped through her body, her cries echoing into the night. The chains shattered as the first glyph began to fade, the sword pinning her to the ground. Her body was enveloped in a powerful glow.

As a shrill scream ripped through the air.

* * *

A red haired young woman slowly stumbled her way into the small village. Her hair, matted to her head with blood, sweat, dirt and grime. Her clothes were faded, torn, but showing that at one point, they were made of the finest materials. Her left arm hung loosely at her side, angry red lines marking where she was sliced by blade and claw alike. Patches of red were seen on her legs, remainders of when she was pierced by stone, steel, bone and bark. Her eyes were a dull green, showing her struggle to stay conscious, coherent of the world around her.

The children cried out for their parents, a strange woman just appeared at the village entrance and she looked like she needed help. The adults then called for two people, Dart and Shana. They left the village frequently, and always returned with more medical supplies. Plans were in motion to create a path between the mountains, a safer one, to reach Indels Castle, but until then, the village relied upon the Dragon Knight and Moon Child respectively.

Her feet were bloodied and raw, uncovered by anything, cloth or leather. Her lips were chapped, throat parched from her journey. She recognized the place, she'd made it to her destination. But she was tired, weak. Her shirt torn, her breasts revealed for all the world to see, scraps of cloth barely covering her chest, a thin red line across her stomach. Shana gasped upon seeing the woman, who looked barely out of her teens, as Dart raced forward and reached out to help her.

As he did so, the woman took one look at him.

"Dra…goon…"

Was the only thing she was able to etch out, before consciousness left her, body pitching forward into his arms.

It was that moment that Shana understood just _who _was before them.

**Broken Wings**

**End of the Beginning**

Dart was staring the woman down. He wasn't _angry_, he was just a tad irritated, that's all. As he thought this, he felt like he heard an amused snort in the back of his mind, gruff and powerful.

Shana glared at the woman, arms crossed beneath her chest, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She leaned against the frame of the kitchen door, impeding the woman's escape, should such a thing occur. The woman's tale was a tall one.

Soa had awoken two days later, to be sat down by the occupants of her temporary shelter. She explained that upon her return to the godly plane, to gather herself for a second attack, she was summoned before a being with even more power than she. A being that was responsible for _her _creation. This being informed Soa that she had made a drastic mistake, the soul that she didn't recognize was sent to her world to keep it on track, for a disturbance was felt. Soa claimed that after literally being chewed out by what would pose as the god's 'Mother Figure', she hastily gathered herself and attempted to return to this world.

She continued, that upon landing, she was attacked by the _world _itself. She was crippled, the very planet draining her of her powers, weakening her to a still powerful, but very mortal state. Where before, she was beyond the scope of even Shana, now, she was only as powerful as Melbu Frhama after his unison with the Virage Embryo. Death, could now come for her, she was no longer nigh untouchable. She continued to say that while originally she had only descended to apologize to Zero and thank him for his efforts in continuing to exist, now she found herself trapped on her own world…which was being corrupted by an unknown force.

"And what does _that _have to do with us?" Shana snapped. Dart's eyes flicked to his girlfriend. She must have really been taken with Zero, to snap like that. Ever since her power fully manifested, she was different. Not a bad difference, just…still unusual. She was still the sweet caring girl he knew, but now he'd seen a ferocity like a raging feline of prey. It was hard to shake the image of the girl he grew up with, but she was slowly tearing that apart…replacing it with her new self.

"I…need your help. For you see, if I go alone, there is no doubt he will just end me. And…I've never been confronted with Mortality like this…I do not know what would happen to this world should I die here. Perhaps its end, perhaps nothing. If your group joins me, then he will likely stay his hand, and I will at least be able to give my apology. Honestly I would like to request all of your help in determining the source of, and eradicating this corruption. But if there is one thing Tiamat drilled into my mind before now, it is that I need to do things in steps."

"So we're just tools to you." Shana countered.

"I…" Soa could not answer. She had no true personal connection to any on this world, only the distant one of being their creator. "I cannot say otherwise. I do not know any of you personally for it to be anything more. Right now, all I can view you as are people on my world, my children…and ask you for help."

"Let's say we helped you with him. How would we find him?" Dart asked. Honestly, he was a little tired of playing hero. But once again, the world was at stake, and he had the power to do something about it. He wasn't about to just sit and let things crumble if he could help it.

"I still retain a connection to all of you as my children. And considering his soul is…a fusion of another with one of my own, his existence stands out. Once we gather your group, I can track him down with ease. It is how I made my way here, to you." Soa elaborated.

"…and this is how you _truly _feel? It's not some plan to get on his good side for your own purposes?" Shana asked.

"I made a mistake. He was doing me a favor, and I was unaware. There is nothing right about that. I must…apologize. Yes, I need his help with this world, but first I wish to erase the bond of hatred I created."

* * *

She had managed to convince the first two, but they said that because of her actions, they wouldn't _help _her attain the assistance of the others.

"You attacked our friend out of nowhere, driving him to vanish to wherever he did, making him feel even worse than he has throughout his entire life. We'll help only to an extent, but _you _have to convince the others."

Albert was taken almost immediately. Being a ruler he understood the actions of the Goddess the most. While yes, it was tactless and not the most diplomatic way, she sensed a disturbance surrounding him, and acted upon it. He joined up without fanfare nor problem.

Kongol and Haschel were next to join. While Kongol wanted to punch the Goddess' head in, Haschel calmed him. It took some work, but the two joined the group, only if to help save the world again. The old man knew his time was going to come sooner or later, and wanted now to live his life doing what he did best: using his martial arts for the good of people. Kongol wanted to see the human who lived a tortured life, who was capable of restraining far more power than even the Giganto himself held.

Zero had Kongol's respect, and through that respect, Kongol wanted to help ease Zero's mind.

Miranda was next. She accompanied them at the urging of her Queen. "We've had an angry Zero around once already, and that's one time too many. If you can calm him, do so, if only to keep his sights off us." However, it was Luanna that offered words of insight.

"His soul…was struggling to stay at least Grey. I don't know what might have happened to set him over the edge but perhaps good intentions can bring it back?"

After traveling to her village, they found Meru…

Not there.

The elder claimed he hadn't seen her in months, for she came and went as she pleased. It was here that Soa frowned. She would have thought the girl to be with her kind…until the Elder told her the truth. As Soa listened to Meru's plight, she bowed her head in sadness. When did her world become so chaotic? She wondered. The races were meant to live in Harmony…at least most of the time. But to have dissonance even in their own sects…

_Perhaps the world was becoming corrupted from the beginning…_

Soa demonstrated her ability to track souls by locking on to the essence not of Meru, but of the Dragon Spirit she held. The group made their way in no-time, due to their ability to now transform outside the heat of battle (something that Albert was ecstatic to learn about). They found her…at the ruins of the village Zero was exiled from as a child.

While the journey to gather the party was a rather fast one, at this place, nightfall was coming. The evening moon was beginning to rise, the sky becoming a faint purple as the light of the sun faded. The sound of something crashing drew their attention. Worried they all ran towards the noise.

What they saw, stopped them all in their tracks.

There was Meru, bouncing along the water, completely naked.

She sprung off the surface of the ruin filled lake, flicking her legs outward in a split. It was then that they noticed the others. Constructs of water held in vague human shapes. She was _training_.

In the blink of an eye, her movements had kicked off the 'heads' of two water figures, before they dropped back into the lake. Another formed behind her, where she flicked her hand out, blue-white sphere of energy lancing from her palm and ripping right through its torso. Another appeared and swung at her with what looked like a sword in hand. She leaned backward, arcing her back in a way that the blade just barely passed over her breasts, before she lashed a foot upward, kicking through its leg, causing it to collapse to one knee. Completing the evasion tactic, she charged forward, smashing a fist into the rising shape's head.

All were silent as they watched her deadly dance. Occasionally, streams of water would spiral around her, lancing out at her targets, reducing them to droplets. These whips, these unusual occurrences would accompany her movements. A thrust fist, a waved arm, a lifted leg. She twirled with grace, bent almost as if trying to seduce her human-shaped liquid opponents. Her body would contort in ways that made the men look away, and the women stare in shock. Ways that would immediately garner the eyes of all males and the hatred of their wives.

Small blasts of blue-white energy would accompany her movements as well. A flicked hand here, and a sphere into a torso. A swept leg, a weak crescent into the pelvis. In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Spirit flared to life. Seconds later, she was covered in the sky blue armor of her dragon's powers. But she didn't stop. She remained on the water, flicking fist and foot, before swinging the giant double-headed mallet into the chests of five water constructs. She slammed her mallet into the head of another, before reaching out a hand. Surrounding her arm formed a familiar disk-shape. Eyes widened as those who fought her recognized Lenus' signature energy chakram attack. Meru tossed it like a Frisbee, the razor sharp edge slicing through countless constructs, arcing its way back to her as she gripped at the water beneath her, spots of ice forming into a giant crystal before launching at high speeds.

The maneuver drew even Soa to shock. That wasn't a magic imbued into the spirit! That was a command all its own! The constructs fell like dominos. A disk had appeared around her left ankle, which she used to literally slice through three of them at once, before she grabbed a handful of water, crystallizing it into ice and launching it at another, the ice forming into a spear that pierced where its heart would have been.

At once formed hundreds of constructs. It was the last segment of her training. At once they all converged. Her body was hidden behind walls of distortion made by the strange constructs. They saw an odd light appear beneath her feet as the bodies almost became a giant sphere of water. They barely made out as she slammed her fist into the water's surface, before a white flash ripped through both lake and sphere. The water crystallized beneath her, becoming a frozen surface for a moment, before hundreds of icicles ripped into the sky, followed by a wall of frigid biting cold, causing the sphere to explode outwards.

After the water fell back into the lake, Meru's form became covered in light once again, the power of the Dragon Spirit fading. They watched her stumble, and fall backwards into the lake. Shana cried out to her and ran forward, kicking her boots off as she did, racing into the lake to try to rescue the girl. Kongol followed, his form cutting a wider path than the smaller human woman's. His size made it take longer for him to become submerged fully, while Shana had dived underneath, to grab Meru.

Shana surfaced…but Meru wasn't there. Shana prepared to dive again, when a few bubbles emerged on the surface of the water away from her. Slowly, a form appeared. Meru's body rose to the surface of the lake, arms and legs spread outward, gently floating on the soft waves. She tilted her head when Shana cried her name, barely making the girl out before she was being pulled into the older woman's embrace. Confused, Meru instinctively struggled against Shana's grip.

"Hey, HEY! I'm fine, I can float on my own!"

Shana let go of the girl, who gently submerged, before rising again as she was now floating under her own power.

"I thought you were-

"No...can't blame ya though. But…why are you here?"

"If you wouldn't mind coming a bit closer to the bank I can explain!" Soa called out. She flinched as Meru's eyes narrowed in a hate-filled glare. As if to show defiance towards the Goddess, Meru turned around before reaching out with her hand and pushing it on the surface of the water. In a move that surprised all of them, (which it shouldn't have, considering the _just _saw her do it a few minutes prior) she lifted herself onto the surface of the water as if it were ground itself. Even Soa was shocked, thinking that perhaps the girl had managed to master floating without deploying her wings.

Either not remembering, or not caring that she was now giving everyone a fair view of her naked rear, she stepped farther from the group, disappearing behind the remnants of a building. She came out a few moments later, wrapped in a towel, carrying a small bag. As Shana swam back to the lake's edge, and Kongol just walked, Meru strode on the surface of the water, as if such a thing weren't anything new. Haschel chuckled to himself, realizing that the girl was now _taunting _them all. Her body, while petite was still glistening with droplets, her hair shimmering in the light of the rising moon. Water ran down her legs, and dripped from her arms, while her torso was covered by the towel. She walked past the group into the bushes.

"Talk while I change, and make it good."

* * *

"It's a dumb idea." Meru said blankly. Surprising the group _again_, rather than put on what they were used to her wearing (which was little more than a bra, a pair of panties, boots, bracelets and a bow on her back) she threw on a button-up shirt, a small skirt and a pair of light blue stockings "from Callisto's own collection." She'd listened to Soa's words, and immediately cast them aside.

"He's not the easily forgiving type. Especially not to those who acted the way you did. You might get his help in trying to find out what's wrong with the World, but at best you can hope for him to do it on his own. At worst…well…we're all fucked."

The others blinked at her language. Soa frowned. "Why…would he not wish to save his own home?"

Meru stared at her. Then she giggled. The giggles sped up and turned into laughs, which then turned into loud chortling guffaws. The sheer absurdity of that question made her laugh impossibly hard.

"Are you a _fucking _moron? What reason would he _have _to save this world? You say that other bigger Goddess told you stuff, but did she tell you about how he was nearly _killed _by his own villagers just for having a human mother? How he spent his life being beaten, shunned, ridiculed by his own people just because he had darker skin? How he was finally kicked out of his village, left to die, and would have were it not for the act of one woman who secretly left him a bag near the outskirts containing effects for his survival? Or maybe, did you forget that the whole _reason _his soul felt different to you was because he tried to _kill himself_ feeling like nobody in the world wanted him alive, only to _fail _and feel _worse _because now **Death **rejected him?"

A soft blue haze was beginning to form around Meru. Her anger was causing her to lose control over her magical pathways, the volatile energy field responding to her rage, beginning to paint Soa as a 'target'.

In response, Soa just lowered her head. Goddess though she was, she left her children to exist on their own, feeling that she had no need to interact with them, for to do so would be to interfere. She only knew parts of Zero's story, and her foolishness now seems to have condemned the world.

"Then I suppose I will have to hope that he will decide to act on his own then." She said softly. Meru kept her eyes on the woman. She was resolved, Meru'd give her that much. She wasn't going to give up, and she _appeared _to be remorseful. She felt a question at the back of her mind, a strange, echoing feeling…but she couldn't figure out what it was. It was a shade, a hidden thought that she noticed, but could not mark. Unknown to her, Dart felt the same thing when he spoke with Soa, as did Shana.

"…fine. I'll go." Meru said, causing Soa's head to rise.

"But." She continued. "Only because _I _miss him. And I want to see for myself, what he decides to do."

* * *

It was decided. They camped that night at the ruin filled lake that once housed his Village. The next morning they set out. Soa had tracked him down north-west. "…in a world of white." The group took that to mean the area of Gloriano, west of Denningrad. The journey was filled with inquiries by the others to Meru.

"How did you do all that?"

"Training. The way Zero broke down our methods of casting spells and using magic made a lot of sense to me. Before _she _showed up, (spoken with distaste towards Soa) he was teaching me how it felt to be wielding his Gravity powers. He said that at its base, to _weave _the world, everything feels the same, which is why when we're young, Winglies are taught how to feel their energy within them, how to give it form. We're taught how each element feels in comparison to our own energies, and our own alignments, so we can better control them. Since I'm a natural water element, my energy melds well with it, while fire is difficult to control. He taught me that using my energy would be like how he uses his gravitational fields."

"_The thing is, stuff was instinctual as a kid. It'd respond to desires like 'man I wish I could grab that apple over there.' Or 'damn, just a couple more inches and I could cut that vine.' After a while I noticed it happening as it did, and started projecting my desires. It started with simple command words that represented thoughts of things I wanted to happen, like 'move' or 'come'. 'Lift' or 'crush'. Then after I failed to die, I began to feel myself even more."_

She took the lead, turning her back to the approaching horizon and facing her allies, and Goddess.

"He said it was then, that he started weaving commands in his mind. Rather than words, he'd form pictures, and put a feeling of 'I want this to happen' to them. Since gravity was the only thing he had control over, he thought of ways it could affect other things, like dirt and trees, even people."

"_One thing I learned was that Water takes whatever form it's in. It can be moved by objects, displaced, coerced into going a certain direction. So I thought of how winds can make waves, and tried it myself. It didn't work at first, but then I realized I was doing it wrong. Force just causes it to go in every direction. I needed to push, as well as pull. Create a path for it to take, and __**then **__give it force, to make it move. Then I smacked my head remembering that my power was __**Gravity**__. For me, up could be down. Then things became easier._"

"So from his experiences, he taught me how to let my energy flow in a way similar to how he 'interacts' with something. I only got the basis of it before _she _showed up, but I've been going back there constantly to get the hang of it. He gave me a small trinket he made, that can summon 'golems' of a specific element, whatever you plant the trigger in. He said it was an experiment, trying to 'bring back the old ways of our people, without the needless death part.' That's what those things I was fighting were."

The group, even Soa was astounded.

"And you say…the Winglies can no longer perform such acts?"

She didn't look at Soa when she responded. "No. We've weakened over time, our powers growing fainter with every generation. Our spells became less complex and more static, especially after the Dragon Campaign. After we were defeated, we basically hid away from humans, some villages trying to enforce their patheticness, others not caring. Zero told us about the legend, that you wanted to make the ultimate race as protectors for your planet. Before you showed up, he was saying he was getting a theory that you left a failsafe, outside of the Moon Child. That when Winglies and Humans merged, not only would the Ultimate Race be created, but something _else _would happen. 'Nothing happens in this world without something answering it, even if that answer doesn't come for a long time.'"

Soa nodded. "Your legend is true. I did create the many races to try to find one that would be strong enough to defend this world. But I didn't expect such Chaos to emerge. I made you all to be able to defeat the other should Corruption occur, but I didn't realize that the Winglies would be as powerful as they were. But yes, it is like He said, the answer to the Winglies' strength was the Dragoons…apparently. It is a combination I never foresaw, the unison between Dragon and Human. I thought it impossible due to the size and…equipment differences. But yet the Dragons were able to retain a fragment of consciousness after death, and bind their spirits to a physical object, granting their power to one they chose. It would seem that due to the Spirit's power, it amplified and awakened, if temporarily, the dormant magical essence within humanity."

Soa pondered something.

"Although I'm uncertain how it is that they were able to synchronize in such a way with the other races…"

"Zero told me something once, something I'll always remember." Shana said.

"_First rule of magic. There __**are **__no rules. Logic it all you want, doing so just makes it easier for __**you **__to understand it. Magic will do what it does, how it wants, and your input only shapes how it responds to __**you**__."_

"Perhaps…because they were so magically powerful, they didn't have to follow any specific rules of how their power worked but their own?"

Dart chimed in. "Actually that kinda makes sense. It's like how we're now able to use the Dragon Spirits outside of battle, because we looked past the unspoken but perceived rule of 'only in a fight'."

* * *

They found him on a snowfield not too far from Flanvell Tower. He stood tense, ready for confrontation as they spoke.

"You…really expect me to believe that you tracked me down, to _apologize_?"

"Yes." Soa said.

"I'm not that stupid."

"What- but the others-

"The others could simply be under your control. It's mighty convenient that you show back up after what you did, claiming that some unknown and possibly non-existent Super Goddess barked at you in a way that made you see your supposed mistake, and then just _happen_ to be weakened by the planet itself? I don't buy it. You're a _Goddess_. The normal rules don't apply to you. There's nothing you can do that proves that you have not simply taken over their minds or used some Godlike ability to control them."

"If that was the case, then why don't I do it on you?" Soa was appalled. Did she truly screw herself over so badly? Could it not be feasible that she was truly repentant?

"Fuck if I know, _you're _the Goddess! For all I know I'm _already _under your control and you're just playing this out for some sick sense of amusement!"

Soa understood now. He was rejecting her as she did him. Not only that, but he was rejecting her the way the _world _did. He had become so jaded, so pain-filled that to him, it would make _more _sense for her to want him erased from her world, than for her to want him alive.

"What is it you want?" Soa asked. Maybe she could offer something to him? _Hell at this point I'd become his sex slave if it got his alliance._

"Leave. Leave me be. I want nothing to do with any of you. I just want to exist."

_I cannot blame him for such a desire. But…_ "I…I cannot. I must get you to believe me." _I need him. I need his help._

"You know…it might be easier to convince him if we had the twins…" Meru spoke softly to Shana. Zero's heart stopped cold at those words. _…what…?_

"You're right." Soa agreed. "He will listen to them. Perhaps if they speak to him, we can win him over."

_The…twins? They're going to go get the twins?_ His eyes widened, unseen by the others at the revelation of what that meant. _That…they're going to do something to my girls! No…no! They've been through enough without these people screwing with their minds! They're going to take my girls away from me! They're planning to turn them against me! Never!_

"Very well. We will grant your request. We will leave you be." Soa turned around to leave. She motioned for the others to do the same. As they did, a small distortion erupted into place before them, revealing Zero, head bowed. The snow beneath their feet began to rumble. Something within him had snapped. His bonded were in danger, _he _was in danger…but he loved them more than he loved himself. A wave of calm washed over him, before it was replaced by a roaring flame of rage. The rage of another filled his soul.

They would betray him. Shana, whom he had begun to see as someone who could understand his plight, and Meru who had become like a sister. They would betray him for this…_False Goddess_.

He would not let that stand.

"Zodal…"

The group grew tense. Soa blinked. What language was that? _…wait…why does it sound so familiar…?_

"Zodal…Zodal…Zodal…Zodal…**Zodal. Zodal! **_**IEM**__**!**_"

His chants turned into a powerful yell, a massive wall of snow and wind kicking up around him. Six streams of light erupted from his back. But then, to even Soa's immense surprise, two more beams shot from his spine. The six, had now become eight. And as if that wasn't enough to make the weakened Goddess take a step back, combined with the sheer _rage _in his voice…

His wings had turned pure black.

His head snapped up, eyes flaring silver for a brief moment before being overcome by blood red, much darker than his normal color.

"**Was guwo erra chs hymmnos oz ruinien yor.****"**

"Wh-what did he just-

In that moment, where Albert tried to ask what was going on, Zero attacked. A massive wall of force slammed into the group.

"**IZANAMI!"**

In the blink of an eye, the blood red cross-staff appeared in hand. Zero seemed to vanish from view, appearing in a blur above Albert who just narrowly rolled to the side as Zero stabbed straight down. The group stared in incredulity that he would attack them. Until something triggered in Meru's mind.

"_It might be easier to convince him if we had the twins…"_

_Oh CRAP! Stupid stupid STUPID! He already thought we'd been brainwashed by Soa and were planning on helping her erase him, me mentioning the twins must have set him off!_

"Zero! Wait it's not-

"**ZODAL IEM****!"**

She gasped and ducked low, losing a few strands of hair as he'd swung lightning quick at her. _Fast! Too fast!_ Her wings snapped outward as she launched herself away, barely avoiding a collapsing gravitational distortion that was intended to crush her flat. _Dammit it's all my fault! If I'd just stuck to friggin speaking __**against **__Soa!_ She had no time to ponder further, for he had appeared right behind her. She felt the vague ripple of air signifying a Shift and whirled around as fast as possible. The tip of Izanami was headed right for her heart, when her Dragon Spirit erupted to life. A blast of ice ripped from the stone, throwing Zero backward.

The others took that as their cue to grasp their spirits as well. A group of shimmering lights greeted Zero, who growled hatefully at the shine. But he had something they didn't know about. Something that he had looked into, just in case.

"**Sarla oz dople. Ini tie oz dracon spiritum****!"**

Two shimmering objects appeared in Zero's hands. The Izanami floating before him, turned slightly, so it was no longer facing parallel to his body. He slammed the two lights, one red, one black, into the center of the cross on both sides. Immediately the Izanami flared silver, before he pulled his right hand across his chest, lashing it forward, palm slamming into the center of the weapon. The Glyph of Xenmaru, his personal glyph appeared in the air for a brief moment, before a powerful wailing shriek ripped from the staff itself.

The shrill noise caused all to cover their ears. The shimmering of the dragon spirits halted immediately, before ethereal chains erupted from the now glowing staff, wrapping around each spirit bearer, before the runes meaning "seal" were painted on the stones themselves. The glowing stopped, the dragoons no longer able to 'hear' their spirits. Shana's eyes widened. This wasn't anything _like _the Dragon Block Staff! That Wingly creation only managed to severely weaken a dragon or dragon knight's powers. What Zero just did, was completely _seal away _the resonance field of the dragon spirit, negating _any _ability of transformation.

They were nothing more than mere mortals. Not even the power of the Dragon was available to them. A localized field ripped into place around Kongol. The Giganto buckled as his leg was broken instantly. He would be useless now.

_Even consumed by rage…he is still thinking tactically? Perhaps my fears were just…to create a race of being like him…_

Soa grasped the hilt of her sword tightly, drawing it, ready to do battle.

And battle they did.

* * *

The only beings that could even hope to land a hit on him were Meru, Shana and Soa. Miranda had long since stopped firing her arrows, each one being caught in his field and launched right back at the group. Shana fought to keep herself and her friends alive. Meru fought to get a chance to explain herself. And Soa fought to apologize. Being in a cold location, Meru was in her element. Though the Dragon Spirit could no longer be accessed, she still had her magic…but that wasn't anywhere near enough. Blasts of energy would crash upon his constant gravitational barrier, doing no damage at all. A shimmer was continuously around his body, blocking nearly everything she threw at him. And that was only what he didn't bother to stop or reverse on his own.

Shana tapped her own Wingly essence, awakened through the rights granted to the Moon Child. Her deployed wings allowed her to remain in the air, giving her an ability to attack and defend on Zero's plane. But she was still inexperienced. She'd only had her wings for a couple of months now. Flight was not as instinctive to her as it was him. She compensated through sheer destruction. A ball of flame launched from his hand, she batted it aside. A wall of light, blocked by a field of darkness. A curtain of water ripped from a small glyph next to him, only for it to be rent through. Meru had since landed, her energy expended. While she'd grown stronger, keeping her wings out as long as she did drained her too much. It was the price one paid for rejecting the self for so long.

He appeared in front of her, arm pulled back. She ducked under his swing and launched herself backward, lance of flame ripping just between her legs. A hail of shimmering lights rained down upon his form, each one splintering against the continuous barrier he held up. Undeterred he flung his hand out at Shana, ignoring Soa's attempt at gaining his attention. A blast of razor sharp air was blocked by a thrust of her hands. She could counter his attacks, stop them…but she could not pierce his defenses. She thought of fire, swinging her arm, a curtain of flame twisting its way towards him. He closed a fist, the flames vanishing with a loud tearing sound as he rent the air from around the coming attack.

Soa flung a ball of snow-covered ice at him, hoping that the solid mass hidden within the white cover would trick him. Once again, it simply bounced off his barrier, fragmenting into pieces as it did. However those pieces began swirling around him as well. A flicker of a rune filled glyph. A small dot appeared in the air, four long lines to both left and right, as well as above and below it. Four more lines appeared, these much shorter than the others, in between them all. To the north and south-west, as well as north and south-east. The rune for Light.

Zero turned his attention to Soa for a moment, the glyph fading. The broken shards of ice seemed to shudder, before they flared with inner shine.

"**Lusye oz zadius.****"**

He flung his left hand toward her, and the small ice crystals shot for Soa. She crossed her arms, expecting them to strike her, and blinked when they missed. When it registered in her mind that they were _glowing_, it was too late. A thick beam of light launched from the tip of the Izanami, the black lance slamming into one of the ice crystals before it shimmered the same color. An instant later, the lance launched from the crystal, through Soa, into another. That crystal then glowed, and fired it back, towards another crystal, through the weakened once-goddess. This pattern would repeat, black 'light' ripping through her from crystal to crystal. Her body would flinch in the direction the light was moving, pain ripping through her with each strike.

A twist of his wrist, and the crystals flared one final time, before exploding in a frigid blast of air, peppering her with small icicles.

Meru shook her head, kicking off the ground in one final bid to get him to stop. A ring of razor sharp blue energy appeared around her wrist. Zero seemed to shimmer for a moment, vanishing just as she swung. Her eyes widened as his form re-appeared right in front of her, slamming a heavy fist into her stomach. She went flying backward, but Zero was not done. In a ripple of air he appeared behind her, Glyph of Xenmaru appearing once again. He swung his arms out at her flying form.

"**Exec en ini.****"**

Chains of light shot from distortions around her form to bind her in place. He vanished from view, appearing above her. His wings pulsed heavily. Fourteen glowing streams of black appeared, surrounding Meru from every direction. In front, behind, above, below, to her left, to her right, and all eight directions diagonally above and below her. His arms spread wide, as if asking for a hug.

"**Chs hymmnos oz lamenza. Viega oz ruinien chs haud oz morto. **_**Omoihikane.**_**"**

He crossed his arms, as if embracing someone dear to him…or attempting to crush them. The black strands became shaped like swords, which all immediately rocketed inward, impaling Meru a multitude of ways, the girl screaming in agony. He rippled out of view as both chains and blades vanished into nothingness, the Wingly girl dropping to the ground, bleeding heavily. Haschel raced as fast as his old but powerful legs could carry him, whirling around and diving backward, catching Meru in his arms before she hit the ground.

Shana tried charging him, grabbing Dart's thrown sword and swinging at Zero, for him to block with the shaft of his staff. Holding it by the cross, he repelled her strike, slamming fist to her face. She forced herself back as he made a follow-up swing. Meru had warned her about that weapon, a single touch in this mindset of his would rip her soul to shreds. She cried out in pain from a flick of his wrist calling forth spears of ice to erupt from the ground behind her.

"**Syunaht.**"

He had appeared right in front of her, while she was recovering from her legs being impaled. A single fist buried itself in her gut, before an _impossible _pressure ripped through her body. She rocketed backwards, slamming heavily into the snowy ground, kicking up the white powder on impact like a raging cloud. Soa leapt at him, only for him to blur aside, smashing the cross portion of the Izanami into her legs, flipping her in midair before he swung right leg out, catching her right in the face. Pain doubled from the combination of forces, her moving forward, and his leg coming from the opposite direction right at her, she flew back.

It would seem she was even weaker in this state than she thought, pain being something she was not accustomed to, as a Goddess. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the dizzying agony. Soa cursed. First she couldn't beat him due to being surprised by his resilience and special mock-element, and now she couldn't defeat him due to her own _planet _weakening her! Tiamat was correct, he truly was the Avatar of Chaos.

Zero seemed to deflate. Shana coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood before stumbling to her feet. The Izanami disappeared. However…the two orbs of light began revolving around him.

"Wait…those are…Dragon Spirits?" Soa cried out. She finally recognized what they were.

"Rose…and Father's power…what is he going to do with them?" Dart yelled out. He had no problem with Zero, really. But now he was using the remnants of his father, and his father's first love as tools! That could not be allowed. But…he could not hear the roar of the Divine Dragon any longer. Its power was lost to him. He came to realize how horribly they'd been defeated. Zero knew everything about them, he knew their abilities, knew their fighting styles…even if he hadn't tapped whatever massive power he just did, he could defeat them easily. _None _of them, not even Shana could stand up to his Gravity powers, hell none of them even knew how they worked. And with Soa so horribly weakened (not that she was much of a danger the first time, he mused) even their trump card couldn't be played.

The Glyph of Xenmaru appeared once again.

"**Burn in the flames of hatred spawned by your betrayal!"**

He rose a single hand to the heavens, red and black orbs spiraling around his body. His wings fluttered at an incalculable pace, becoming naught more than waves of black rippling from his back.

"**Embrace nothingness as resentment claims your shattered souls!"**

The twin dragon spirits increased the speed of their revolutions. The paths they took now beginning to resemble true form, rather than just erratic loops. A powerful pressure washed over them, Soa's eyes widening as she recognized this level of strength, and what his speech being understandable meant.

He was tapping the might of a **God.**

"**Crumble before the baleful gaze of the Dark Goddess!"**

The pressure reached a crescendo. This was different than any other maneuver he'd pulled out. Shana's senses were screaming at her, demanding she flee, flee and never look back. Such strength was to be feared, and avoided at all costs. She battered down the will to run, her body shuddering of its own accord. She was attuned to Destruction…and that was what this attack would bring. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Soa clasping her hands together, as if in prayer. The woman snapped her eyes open and raced for the others as the two unanchored dragon spirits' movement patterns now fully resembled the sign for Infinity, their colored streaks leaving behind obvious trails.

"**Take heed, and engrave her name upon your very souls!"**

The two spirits then slowed, coming together, red and black merging as one.

"_**Amaterasu."**_

* * *

The whole planet shuddered. Even as far as Seles could feel the vibrations of the earth. People pointed to the sky, where a wispy pillar of black could be seen in the distance. At the site, walls of black flame ripped outward, coating all within its reach. The pure destructive force called forth, tore all within grasp asunder. Ice was broken, melted into water, to be evaporated in an instant. Trees were set alight, only to turn to ash in moments. The ground was ripped outward, scorched, melted into liquid heat. Air was shattered, the heat of the flames instantly ripping away all forms of oxygen, dust was disintegrated, leaves became memories.

All manner of creature was instantly eradicated. Pain wasn't even a thought, not even a concept upon being touched. All that was felt was a warm sensation, before they were fried to ash on the spot, the ashes themselves turning to glass, which was then melted in seconds. The black flames coated the glacier, melting and evaporating snow, disintegrating stone and flesh alike.

And one man stood in the center of it all.

Tears ran down his cheeks, but he did not sob. His hand dropped to his side as his rationality took over his emotions, re-routing them to put them to use. The two orbs separated, dropping into his hands. They did not _choose _him, but he had bound them to him for the time being. He had no desire to become the master of either of them, but he had use for their power at the moment. Wings spread, he flew to a place untouched by the essence of Destruction he had called forth.

He had no time to be tired. There was still work to be done.

He reached the top of the tower. Flanvell Tower had been re-claimed by Zero, cleaned, fixed and altered. It wasn't fully operational the way he desired, but it was close enough. He pulled a small knife from the ground, before wrapping his hand around the blade. Palm sliced, blood freely flowed around the ornate weapon's edge. He knelt and slid the blade into a small slit in the ground. Upon hearing a small click, a brief wave of blood red light ripped through the stone beneath him. For a moment, streams of red gave way to multitudes of symbols, loops, spirals, rings, lines and even indentations. All throughout the tower, this red wave made itself known. Feeling the energy hum in tune with his heart, he nodded to himself, and made his way downward.

As he approached the lower levels, crystals came alive with light, stones began to glow, walls started to shimmer. With each 'activation' he nodded, noting silently what was occurring. Upon reaching his destination, he made note of the gigantic glyph at his feet. It was carved into the stone, but inactive, blind, to the workings, the pulsing of magical energy around it. Two small pedestals rest around the center of the glyph. He stepped in between them, before placing the two stones he held within their hilts. The moment the two slid into place, a red and a black pulse of light shot through the ground, illuminating the edges of the glyph. A final nod, and he held out both hands before him. In a small flash of light, the Izanami formed. Holding it by the shaft, he took a small step backward, closing his eyes.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for this last act.

_**Dople.**_

He slammed the staff down into the heart of the glyph. The Izanami flared a brilliant silver, that same color bleeding out into the glyph. The glyph, a ringed X surrounded by six sword shapes took form, flaring to life. In the ground, embedded surrounding the tower, seven crystals flared in response. Each one activated, creating a small glyph around them. The silver crest began to glow brighter, seeming to rise from the ground, before it appeared to massively grow in size.

The ground rumbled as Zero's will took hold. The tower shook violently as the ice was transmuted, forced to morph into stone, which then detached from its earthly grasp. As the tower began to slowly rise from the ground, another group of crystals shot from the walls outside it. Each one flared with a silver light, before dimming into a pale green, becoming surrounded by glyphs as well. These crystals, designed to regulate air-flow and increase oxygen levels, hovered within range of the tower, and the small plot of land beneath it. The people of Denningrad were closest to the rising tower, as were the Vellweb clan of Succubi, whom all felt the rumbling of the earth, watching in awe and fear as the giant crystal-stone tower rose into the heavens. All of them shuddered as its shadow was cast over them, as it moved slowly towards the south-east.

In less than half an hour, the Floating Tower had come to a halt above the continent of Tiberoa. Panic ensued in Fletz and Donau as the massive spire had invaded their lands out of nowhere. A massive rumbling was felt as Zero's personal glyph appeared just above the tower. People fled in fear, believing the glowing light to be some form of attack. Unknown to them, the glyph did not signify an assault…this time. Its purpose was a corruptive one. Upon forming, the glyph sent out a pulse that was echoed by the planet, shifting the gravitational field around the Valley of Corrupted Gravity to a wavelength that could be controlled and manipulated by Zero.

Panic grew as the people of Fletz saw massive stones, near-mountains rising into the air, surrounding the tower. With this done, a heavy haze surrounded the spire, what looked like gigantic ripples of air wafting out of it. After a near ten minutes of these waves growing in intensity, the tower seemed to be surrounded by a ring of distorted air, which collapsed inward, taking the tower with it in a deafening **BOOM**.

A fierce wind kicked up, creating a massive sandstorm in the Death Frontier, as well as clearing out practically all clouds from above Tiberoa proper.

They didn't know it now, but that was the final act. The last key to be turned before the world as they knew it would change.

_**Rrha guwo ra rifaien ruinien sos infel.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N: **And it's done. The first part of this story is now complete. All this was just a set-up for the real plotline: what happens when a strong enough existence becomes sentient, and filled with rage towards all. That will be posted in a separate story, and not posted for a while. I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter, the battle between forces where there was no true victor. A fight that occurred not because one was wrong and one was right, but because of a conflict of desires.

I'll be frank, this first part of the story as a whole is a message and a warning to all. This is what comes of blind hate and racism, this is what comes of betrayal. The characters within have been forged (for the OCs) and evolved (for the original named) to fit the situations present, but all within have been tailored to display close-to-real reactions, motives, and desires.

**Translations**: The unknown language spoken in some of these chapters is called "Hymmnos." it's a language focusing on conveying the emotions of the speaker to the listeners. Created for the Ar Tonelico series of games, it is mostly used in songs for those titles. Here, it is used as the method of communication between the World, Zero, and the End that the two are connected to.

In order of appearance: "Die now".

"In this eternal rage I become the song of your destruction."

"Song of rejection. Initialize restraint of the dragon spirit."

"Light of Hatred."

"Execute and initialize."

"Become a song of laments. Sword of destruction become the embrace of death." (**Omoihikane** is the attack name, it is japanese, brought from the 'Zero' side of Seth's fused soul, generally meaning divine wisdom)

"Vanish."

"Rejection."

And finally, the world itself speaks: "In this trance of hatred I revive destruction for the sake of love."

The next story will show the results of this day's events, and the consequences to the World finding sentience. One may look back into the previous chapter. When Pandora made that comment about a strong enough power gaining sentience without guidance, this, is what she meant.


	7. Epilogue

Lightining flashed overhead.

**CRACK-BOOM**

The rumbles of thunder ripped through the skies.

_**A teenaged girl with silver hair ducked under the lunge of a shadowed creature.**_

Raindrops fell from the heavens like a wall of water. Sand became dampened with moisture, crumbling, becoming a sodden trap for all whom would stand on its surface.

_**A humanoid skeleton creature was sent flying. The palm of the girl glowed a faint green, as red liquid dripped from her finger tips.**_

The desert was slowly becoming a swamp, the rains having began a day ago, and not letting up since. Hidden caves underneath the sands were flooded, driving animals and deadly creatures alike out of their homes.

_**The girl stumbled forward as the bony claw of a skeleton embedded itself in her back. She cried out in agony, reaching behind and snapping its wrist before whirling on her heel and swinging her fist at it, coated in a hazy green glow.**_

The sky cracked and rumbled, flashes of light tearing through the air. Angry black clouds reigning overhead, fierce winds blowing across the lands creating walls of rising water that crashed against the rocky plateaus.

_**She fell backward. Her arms and legs carved like woodwork. Her clothing in tatters, left arm held limply, chest partially bared to the world. Blood ran down her form, hers and her enemies'. Hair matted to her forehead, breath coming in short pants, she tried to crawl backward, avoid the snapping jaws and howls of her surroundings. As her sight faded, her attackers sensed her life-force draining. With a final cry of triumph, they all leapt at her.**_

_**A single tear slid down her face as consciousness left her.**_

Another flash of lightning. Another rumble. An explosion of stone.

_**She didn't see the creatures literally freeze in place, movements halted by an unknown force. She failed to witness the sky, the air, even herself, turn grey, colorless. She didn't feel the arms wrap around her form, nor the soft hands touching her cheek.**_

* * *

Charlie Framha gazed balefully at the sky. The rain hadn't stopped since it started five days ago, it was troubling. Ulara had experienced storms before, but they weren't common, nor did they last _days _at a time like this one. Many places were starting to flood, most people not leaving their houses. On top of which, one of their own, a child named Sierra had gone missing. Charlie was basically considered leader for this little village, and she loved the few children that were born like her own.

Sierra was a wild one, growing bored with the simple life here, making occasional forays down into the desert below for entertainment, and to explore. She always returned home however…but it had been days.

_Just like the rain…_

Charlie gave a soft sigh, deciding maybe it was time to send an investigation party…then in the flicker of bright created by a flash of lightning, something caught her eye.

A shrill scream pierced the air.

Immediately Charlie burst out of her home, wings spread. She stopped in shock at what she saw before her.

It was a flesh covered skeleton wielding a sword. Surrounded by rabid looking wolves, it stood over the body of a Wingly woman. Questions raced through her mind. Where did it come from? How did it get up here? Were there _more _of it?

A loud explosion rocked the floating city. A beam of light shot down from the sky, splitting through a house, into the stone below. People were panicking. Wings were extended, giving larger leaps and glides, but now came a group of winged creatures. Shrill screeches ripped through the skies, bodies were crushed under invisible force. Another explosion. Charlie jumped backward in time to avoid the brunt of it, but shards of stone and crystal became lodged in her arms, crossed in front of her face.

As her ears stopped ringing, she heard the triumphant roar of a familiar creature. She turned around, gasping as she saw a pale white _demon _spitting a ray of light across the city. Buildings collapsed, the crystals used to keep the city afloat shattered, exploding in overload. The magical cloak keeping Ulara from being seen flickered and faded.

Many of her brethren were taking to the skies, leaping off of the now falling city, diving down for the desert below.

Spheres of flame, arcs of electricity, bolts of frost…all manner of magic was being sent at those fleeing for an edge. She watched as the beautiful rose bush was shredded by a razor sharp blast of wind, emitted from the snouts of one of the many black wolf-demons.

If this were 11,000 years ago, she knew the invaders would have no chance. But now…with her and her people so horribly weakened, they were being picked off like flies. She flapped her wings, racing for a point to jump down from. As she did, she turned, hearing the _demon _screech in exertion. The beam issued from its core fired wildly into the sky. Charlie leapt off the stone walkway as it crumbled beneath her feet, wings angled to increase the speed of her descent.

Something felt _wrong_.

She turned around, and stared in shock as a series of light rays shot through the clouds, _tearing _through the city of Ulara like it were paper. The rain of light triggered massive overloads in the remaining balancing crystals, and they exploded. Charlie covered her eyes from the many flares of light as a wave of pure magical energy washed over her form.

And then something unexpected happened.

Her wings, which were slowing and controlling her descent.

Vanished.

She gasped as suddenly she felt an unimaginable pressure in her heart, body no longer flowing with the magic she had felt all her life.

The last thing she saw, rushing winds filling her ears, mind in shock at the turn of events, was Ulara crashing into a nearby mountain, before her body hit the lake created by the rain, curtain of muddy water blocking her sight.

_**Was guwo erra rifaien jenhah.**_

* * *

**A/N: **This is basically the Epilogue of this part, a method to connect the two since in my infinite stupidity I forgot to label this thing as complete.


End file.
